I wrote this guide as a hand out when I was asked to be a guest speaker for a Girl Scout Troupe.  The girls were attempting to earn their sport court badges. 

7 Good Reasons to Get Involved In Sports

By Kim Harrell

Encourage a Healthy Lifestyle

Making exercise a part of your daily life will teach you the importance of fitness.  We all need physical activity every day and being on a sports team is a great way to get that daily exercise.  With video games, TV and computer time taking up a lot of your time, sometimes daily physical activiity is forgotten.  Learn to be active now and it wil follow you all of your life.

Promote Self Esteem

When you play on a team and work hard you get better and better at your sport, you will feel a sense of accomplishment.  Choosing a sport you can grow and improve in give you the opportunity to build great self-esteem.  You will have more confidence and a more positive view of yourself.  Because you know YOU CAN DO IT !!!

Learn Goal Setting

Goal Setting and success go hand in hand.  Participating in sports give you a fun way to learn about goal setting.  You'll see, experience and learn about how goal setting works.  You'll have great fun along the way !!

Learn and Experience Teamwork

In school and life you will find everyone wants a team player around.  Sports will teach you about teamwork and about how your actions affect other people. This is an important lesson to learn.  Being a team player is more important thant being The Star.  Because when you are a Team Player YOU SHINE LIKE A STAR !!!  

Develop Time Management Skills

Adding a sport to your schedule will help you learn how to manage your time.  You will have to learn to allow time for practive, school work, cleaning chores at home and time with friends.  It can be your first taste of learning to prioritize (do things in order of importance). You will develop a plan which will allow you to take care of your responsibilities and still have time for your sports practices and competitions.

Learn About Dealing With Adversity

Everyone makes mistakes. Everyone has problems. How you learn to handle these mistakes and problems will affect your happiness. Many people get in a slump and can't get out of it. In sports, we always try to minimize errors so our team can win the game. When you learn how to deal with adversity, errors and challenges in sports, chances are you will be able to use that skill in real life to be happier !

Have Fun

Being on a sports team is FUN ! You get to have fun, positive experiences and your family will too.  Your parents will become sports parents and be blessed with the chance to watch you, their darling daughter, have fun while learning and developing as an athlete and young lady.