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Getting Connected
Sports: Getting physical
Getting into sports is a good way to stay healthy – in mind and body.
Playing keeps you in good physical condition, and teaches you about life. Read about the good things Katti, Kemba, Jim and Judd got from participating in sports.
KATTI: I played softball, basketball, volleyball. It really changed my life. I know that if I didn't have sports, I would have stayed in my room, and probably ate.
KEMBA: In playing a team sport, I have to learn how to work with someone else. I have to learn how to work together in a big group and interact with others.
JIM: It was a little hard getting into sports. Sports weren't what I really liked. I liked bugs, nature, and all the other stuff that wasn't really related to sports. But eventually, sports helped me get through the hard times. I was forming bonds with kids. I was forming friendships. I actually got friends I needed.
JUDD: Athletics is probably the best thing that ever happened to me. I could not picture my life without athletics. It’s opened my eyes to new and better things. I can just like fool with the guys. We talk about stuff.
KATTI: You make bonds with people. Sports let you stay healthy, and you learn to trust people.
JIM: With sports, it was like everybody got treated equal. There wasn't a stereotype or division. Everyone came together. They respected me on the court and eventually, they respected me off the court.
JIM: For me it was sports, but it doesn't have to be sports. It can be anything where you meet new people. It can be any place – drama or being in the band - where you can meet kids that have similar interests to yours.
KATTI: Your team, it's a family. You form that bond with them. You need that to grow and to be healthy inside and out.
KEMBA: I think that learning to work on a common goal will carry over later in my life. Like, if I want to become a doctor, I’m obviously going to be working on a team. We're definitely going to be trying to achieve a goal, like curing someone, or helping someone.
JUDD: The one lesson that I will always remember and use in life from sports is that you have to work together as a team. In doing that you might have some arguments. But you have to work through those arguments and bad times to get to the great times, which is in sports is winning.
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Getting into sports is a good way to stay healthy – in mind and body.
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It's A Fact.
Teenage female athletes are less than half as likely to get pregnant as female non-athletes. 1
Exercise and sport participation offer adolescent girls positive feelings about body image, improve self-esteem, and increase self-confidence. 2
High school girls who play sports are more likely to do well in science. 3
Physical activity can help reduce the symptoms of stress and depression among girls. 2
Female student athletes graduate at a higher rate (68 percent) than female students in general (59 percent). 4
Many high-school female athletes report higher grades, standardized test scores, and lower dropout rates, and are more likely to go on to college than their non-athletic counterparts. 2
Dealing With It.
If you want to build your confidence and meet new friends – people like yourself – consider getting involved in activities at school or in your community.
Sometimes the first step is the hardest one. Meeting new people can be scary. But if you take the chance, you will probably be glad you did.
When you are in a group like theater, a volunteer program, or on team, you have common goals. You'll start talking to people and discovering things you like about each other.
Being involved in sports, or another group activity, is a way to build trust and respect. These are the building blocks of good friendships. Soon you’ll feel good about yourself for taking a chance. You'll know you did the right thing.
Hear more from Jim and Judd in Boys on Bullying DVD/VHS and Katti and Kemba in The Power of Girls: Inside and Out DVD/VHS
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1 The Women's Sports Foundation Report: Sports and Teen Pregnancy, 1998.
2 The Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport, "Physical & Mental Health Dimensions from an Interdisciplinary Approach," Spring, 1997.
3 Hanson, S.L. and Kraus, R. S., Women, sports and science: Do female athletes have an advantage?, 1998.
4 1999 Division I NCAA Study on Graduation Rates, 1999.
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