Girls Drawing Similar Benefits From Sports As Multi-Sport Participants

Concerns are being raised about underwhelming numbers in terms of the participation of girls in Canadian youth sport. The worries being expressed are remarkably similar to that of those who choose to specialize in youth sports at a young age.

A report that was funded by Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities found several barriers that are limiting Canadian girls from regular participation in youth sport. Those barriers included fatigue or injury, time commitment and a lack of overall confidence.

Similar issues are discovered among youngsters who are funneled in an early sport specialization path. There is too much time being devoted to the pursuit of that sport, causing less time to be spent socializing with children outside that sport, and on school work. Catastrophic injuries tend to occur more often in children who specialize in one sport as opposed to enjoying the multi-sport experience. And fatigue brought on by burnout from the continuous repetition resulting from the pursuit of one sport leads to burnout and children leaving the sport at a younger age.

The study displayed that the total number of girls who aren’t getting to experience the many benefits that participation in youth sports brings to them is at an almost 50% rate by the age of 16.

"We believe so strongly and the girls themselves tell us very clearly that there are significant benefits to them participating in sport now and across the span of their lives," Allison Sandmeyer-Graves, CEO of Canadian Women & Sport told Muriel Draaisma of CBC News in her report on the study.

"What we remain concerned about, though, is that the rates are still lower than boys, that more than one million girls are still missing out on the benefits of sport. And the number of girls leaving sport grows as they age through those teen years."

The study found that girls who play sports on a regular basis are healthier, display more inner confidence, learn how to communicate more easily and are better problem solvers - similar benefits to what a multi-sport experience can bring to a child. 

(Image by Joshua Choate from Pixabay)