Is playing sports stupid?

By Cedric Harris

Dear Editor: Last month while I was visiting the Island I overheard a young woman saying to her companion, “People who do sports are stupid”, so I replied are they? She continued, “see how sports in Dominica a waste of time and energy”.

She went to say that she competed in various sporting events for her past school and she got nothing out of it but teachers calling her tomboy, megzo, stupid etc. All her comments were negative even pointing out that playing fields are scarce to come by in Dominica now.

I then formally introduced myself and told her I’m a Physical Educator/PE teacher and a former national middle/long distance runner of Dominica. She  said to me that this is an easy job and anybody can teach PE there is no qualifications for teaching that subject. The teacher just make you play and you can’t learn anything in PE. I obviously disagreed with her because I knew better and told her PE teachers should be well rounded in knowledge about the way the body functions. I told her if her PE teacher had taught her well she would not be making such a statement. I went on to say to her I use the three T’s with my students: tell, teach and train, making them well rounded of their sporting knowledge and experience.

Have you come across this attitude yourself from young people’s? Do you think sports are stupid too?  Are you scared to tell someone that you are an athlete?

‘Oh right,’ they’re thinking. ‘An athlete, A jock, stupid.’ There are many opportunities out there now for an athlete of all disciplines so continue playing, but it is essential to strike a balance with academics.

Sports are important.

And when people give me that look, I say:

“Brains are just as important to an athlete as brawn, you know.”

“Oh, sure,” they reply.

So I enlighten them about all the things that my athletes need to know as an athlete. I use words like anaerobic, aerobic, plyometrics, target heart rate, and per iodization, etc. I talk about nutrition and psychology and biomechanics.

I go on to describe the health benefits of playing sports such as: It helps your heart, lungs and other body systems grow stronger and healthier. It will also help you manage stress better because on the field of play there are rules, and not obeying them during play time can cost you or your team the game. It also help with self confidence, cooperation, communication and sportsmanship. You also get to strengthen friendships and being on a team you get a feeling of worthiness.

When I am finished, they look at me with surprise and new respect. “You sound more like a scientist than a coach,” they laugh.

“I take pride in what I do,” I reply.

At present the Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth affairs recognizes PE as a CXC subject where the high schools have a syllabus to follow. Furthermore, students have been actually taking/writing PE as a CXC subject in Dominica and doing well. By not being too critical, what’s next for those students who want to pursue coaching can the state college implement such a program?

My comments were motivated by this young woman’s statement because I have seen the lack of enthusiasm by some students because of the lack of interest of the PE teachers and coaches. There are many young men and women who when leaving high school would like to begin a career in coaching but are neglected from the system. Our primary schools should ALL have a PE teacher because at that level the sporting fundamentals need to be taught. Kids get into high school not knowing the names of their basic muscle groups. Also hating sports especially athletics because during their primary years they were never trained correctly such as the importance of a warm up and not being overloaded with events. At this tender age sports participation is fun so why not nurture the talent from there? It is said that a mediocre coach tells, a good coach explain, a superior demonstrates, but the great coach Inspires.

So let’s get serious about our sports in Dominica by strengthening the base by having PE teachers trained at the elementary level which will help with the outcome at the secondary sporting programs. And youngsters will not have to say that, “playing sports is bad.”

Harris is a Physical Educator

IAAF Certified Coach

Graduate Student Sports Science

Olympian

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10 Comments

  1. May 8, 2010

    Very well stated, brother Cedric !!

    Some people are fully unaware of the major health concerns effecting our youth today, such as diabetes and obesity. Exercise and sports related activities in early elementary, middle, and secondary schools help to ward against childhood and young adult health problems related to inactivity. I do believe every child should be entitled to physical education lead by a knowledgeable, caring , educated, and physically fit instructor… Learning sports concepts should definitely be just as important as learning Science, Math, and English concepts, because students learn how to work their brain muscles while gaining health benefits too!!

  2. Righteous!
    April 19, 2010

    Nice piece of self-praise my brother….You should try writing fiction novels. Stop blowing that horn…..

  3. DA MAN IN BOSTON
    April 15, 2010

    that always the case when you try to impart knowledge to people, they always try to tell you why you doe come and do it . most times they forget where you started, they also doe know what you go through to be who you are. yet they want you to come home and get diss like befor. Bro. Harris tell them is not who can run the fastest, but who that can endure that win the race.You have endure long enough to look for your welfare for you and family. let them know you have done your time and the haters you have left behind, knowledge is for thoes who seek it and big ups to you who try to bring it.
    tell them it takes dedication and hard work and time to be a good athletics person either you out or you in.

  4. en ba la
    April 14, 2010

    Harris, I can say you are patriotic and I mean it. Dominica and Dominicans need to support people like you.

    There is the tendency for us to discredit our own for the benefit of upholding and praising people who come from elsewhere when what we have – people like you Harris- are more qualified than the foreign people we acknowledge.

    You have made your mark as a Sports Teacher and I can say like many others can, even those who will not publicly acknowledge that the athletes who were graced with your coaching skills excelled at what they did in sports and academically.

    Until we utilize the skills of our qualified fellowmen and provide some incentive to our younger people who are involved at primary and secondary eve college level – sports in Dominica will be regarded as stupid.

    Why do you think we have athletes who have gone on to pursue higher education on athletic scholarships and never returned to Dominica?

    I believe that patriotism does NOT pay your bills and should not prevent you from moving forward in advancing your career.

    You just continue pressing on leave your mark where you pass. Dominica will benefit someday but I will say according to the saying: “the winner of the rat race is STILL A RAT.”

  5. james
    April 13, 2010

    hahaha go ramble to the idiots on the courts that can’t keep people’s mother out of their mouths and get on more like animals than people. This is a battle (sports vs academics) that has a long history from the days when the philosophers stayed at home studying while the blockhead warriors passed the time between battles trying to destroy each other with their ‘games’. I do sports by the way for anybody who thinks i’m being negative. But i also excel at academics, something the majority of people who do sports cannot say.

  6. ma beff
    April 13, 2010

    hey mr.harris then why not come home and make a contribution to ur country rather than just pass by.i really would like to see ppl like you in D/CA working with the young ppl and maybe even trainning my age group who is about 30 to 39 who want to still do sports.

    good job. you did well for urself and 3cheers to you atleast d/ca has good men just that we need them here to train others cause if the ones that trained you had left then we would not have u. mark says hi

    • sportsman
      April 13, 2010

      man, do you know anything about mr. harris?

  7. April 13, 2010

    Cedric, you are a patriotic Dominican that mens well toi all and sundry.

    Keep it up bro

  8. blackheart
    April 13, 2010

    couldnot have done it better and congrats to you also

  9. blackeart
    April 13, 2010

    well done, well done. you have put it correct and that i admire

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