Co-curricular - Junior Sport Stage 3
This Thursday 19 June, the Junior School will participate in the Annual House Athletics Carnival. The carnival will be held on Breen Oval and spectators are more than welcome. Parents/carers coming to watch are asked to sit on the benches along the Fraser Street side of the oval. There is not much cover on that side of the oval so please be prepared for the weather condition on the day.
A few reminders:
It is a normal school day, so boys should arrive at normal time.
Boys come and go home in their colour House, PE uniform. The College tracksuit should be worn if cold.
There are no canteen facilities on Thursday. All boys MUST bring all their own food and plenty of water.
All boys are expected to compete in the House 100m and 200m events, along with tug-o-war and novelty events.
Parents/carers and students are not to sit with each other over the course of the day.
I look forward to an exciting day, full of friendly competition and fun. May the best House win!
Over the course of the last few weeks, the Junior School has been involved in some physical testing. Tests have looked at the boys’ level of fitness, both aerobic and anerobic, strength and movement. Unfortunately, the results have been less than positive. A large number of boys are unable to move their bodies effectively and struggle with coordinating movements where cross patterning is involved.
This may come as a surprise for many. Especially seeing that we have a large number of students playing at high levels of their chosen sport. When looking at the results, there are two reasons for why the movement capabilities are so poor. The first being the significant reduction in ‘play’ and the second is the early specificity of boys and girls in sport. Both can have significant impacts on the ability to move effectively.
The lack of play compounds the loss of effective movement by reducing the number of opportunities we have to explore movement each day. When we truly play, we create a myriad of different movements for our bodies. Taking weight through different parts of the body, moving these body parts under pressure, all help to develop the body in its entirety.
Play also helps develop positive group dynamics. When we play, we aren’t necessarily focused on the win or the process, just having fun. When this is the case, we become more capable of seeing what is truly important, and it’s not the rules or the score. We give license to be creative, try new things, and move in all manner of new ways.
This is not the case when we specialise early. The focus is on the process, a particular set of movements. Children get trapped in particular patterns as they identify with being a footballer or tennis player and the like. While the patterns are well developed, it is at the expense of balance and whole-body awareness. One of the big issues with this is the risk of injury and reoccurrence of injury.
The other consequence of early specialisation is the psychological effect. Many refer to it as burnout. When looking at the statistics, we see that by the age of 15, one in four boys have withdrawn from competitive sport. It is around the age of 11 for girls. The pressures associated with a year-round focus for young people can lead to a loss of passion and a negative view on, not just sport, but movement in general. This ends up being counterproductive for long-term health as it has been clear for many years now that we must be active to help remain healthy.
So, in summary, while we encourage our boys to play and want them to succeed, it may be more beneficial to allow them to explore different movement opportunities and sports. This will help them create balance in their bodies as they develop, ultimately making them better athletes in the long run. The variety may engage them into a lifelong love of movement and reduce the dropout rate at 15 years of age.
This weekend, Saturday 21 June, is the last round of sport for Term 2. There will be no training for any team in the last week of school. Training will re-commence on Tuesday 22 July, the first day back of Term 3.
John Locke
Head of Stage 3 Co-Curricular