Children-common sports activities

This was a 2010 report based on a survey that they did of 300 residents in City of Vancouver on types of sports, etc. they often undertake. (City of Vancouver population = 550,000+. Metro Vancouver is over 1 million.)

Over 70 respondents had children. They were asked about their children's common sports activities that they undertook often. Most popular included: hockey, soccer, basketball, swimming.

Biking rated lower.
But hey, as long as children active in whatever sports/physical activity, that's good too.

http://vancouver.ca/parks/activecomm...tnessStudy.pdf (See pg. 21.)

As a child/teen, I would have listed: biking, softball (latter I played regularily in teams/games organized by ourselves. No adult around to referee us on playground.)

That's a pretty tiny sample.
Here, at least, people put their kids in activities they're likely to get scholarships for. A friend of mine played soccer for years, as did her sister. Their father pushed both of them to get soccer scholarships. She now has a badly screwed up knee and ankle.
I also don't know how many people consider their kid's riding around the neighborhood (for example) as a separate physical activity from playing outside. I don't think mine did...apart from their insistence that I wear a helmet.

Respondants might have been more thinking of "organized" sports. I would like to think my kids kinda think of biking as an extension of walking, just faster.

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Originally Posted by snowroo

Respondants might have been more thinking of "organized" sports. I would like to think my kids kinda think of biking as an extension of walking, just faster.

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The thing is, it asks for "physical activities", rather than sports. PE classes are on the list. That might have something to do with the "organized" part.

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Originally Posted by Owlie

That's a pretty tiny sample.
Here, at least, people put their kids in activities they're likely to get scholarships for. A friend of mine played soccer for years, as did her sister. Their father pushed both of them to get soccer scholarships. She now has a badly screwed up knee and ankle.
I also don't know how many people consider their kid's riding around the neighborhood (for example) as a separate physical activity from playing outside. I don't think mine did...apart from their insistence that I wear a helmet.

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Sure it's a tiny sample....out of 300 adult respondents by telephone survey. Must mean less people are having children. I'm certain a non-English speaking adult couldn't respond properly for the survey. (Sorry, to bring it up...but survey biases are there. One just has to read more closely and figure it out.)

Enrolling child for fee-based/organized sports...for increasing school scholarships: Sports scholarships are nearly unheard of in Canada universities. (But any Canadian TE is free to add their opinion.) I personally know of only 1 Canadian teen who got a sports scholarship...for a Florida university. It was for tennis. No, kid was not a dummy and his parents were/are wealthy to help.

Gets more complicated/impossible when parent(s) can't afford to enroll child in a sport that requires fees. So my childhood/teenage sports choices reflect free physical activities. Only variation with siblings, is that some of my sisters did jogging for their school teams. Free of course. This is why cutting out physical education programs in schools is a crappy idea.

And interesting how biking by children on their own is just another 'play' tool. Probably because biking looks unstructured to adults when a bunch of kids hang out with one another on bikes.

My high school instituted an "activity fee" of $50 per activity for sports teams the last year I was there, to make up for budget shortfalls. The year after, they extended it to all after-school activities. I know some of the music programs suffered. I wonder if the club sports did too.

Here's my question: Does it only count as a physical activity if it's organized?

I think times are different now in that parents are more reluctant to let their children outside unsupervised. I remember going for bike rides with friends, but it was different back then. We actually went outside to play.

I think parents are more likely to enrol their kids into other sports, if nothing else than for supervision/coaching they'll get. There really isn't any organized cycling for kids, either, is there? (i.e. summer camps at a community centre). Truthfully, I don't think I'd want my kids to go out on their bikes in downtown Vancouver to "play", either.

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Originally Posted by Owlie

I also don't know how many people consider their kid's riding around the neighborhood (for example) as a separate physical activity from playing outside. I don't think mine did...apart from their insistence that I wear a helmet.

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I was just thinking this.. I wouldn't consider it separate. I don't really distinguish the two when it's just my oldest riding his MTB around our property. He's "playing outside" because while he's out riding, he might get distracted and do something else for a while (look for bugs, climb all over the dirt bike jumps, or whatever) and it's really not that "formal". (and for the record, we live on 9 acres.. no way no how would I let him run loose in a neighborhood.. I don't think it's safe - things have really changed in 20 years)

I biked a lot as a kid (and I actually just bought the exact model 10-speed I had as a kid off CL earlier.. long story) and I never really considered it any big deal - it was just our main transportation to friends houses, and something we did just because it's what we did. Of course we enjoyed it, but if you asked us what "sports" we did as a kid, cycling would likely not be included...

Yet if we separate biking from other outdoor "playing" for kids...it sounds like something organized...a group ride or at the very least, preparing for bike rodeo, bike race, etc.

In several bike stores in Germany & Copenhagen, I saw kiddie bike models with...real bike racks...to hang on real panniers.

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Originally Posted by shootingstar

In several bike stores in Germany & Copenhagen, I saw kiddie bike models with...real bike racks...to hang on real panniers.

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Yeah, that's apparently very common in Europe.. I think they're adorable, and wonderfully functional :) I didn't even KNOW about panniers until an adult.. I can only imagine how nice that would have been as a kid. I remember biking to work at 16 with my backpack, absolutely clueless that there was a "better" way....

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Originally Posted by sarahspins

I remember biking to work at 16 with my backpack, absolutely clueless that there was a "better" way....

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hey... I commute to work with a backpack!! :)