School sprt

I could never have won a race to save my life at school sports, but that didn't prevent my taking part. I once came second in a 3-legged race! Missed out on 1st XI hockey team and fell apart when asked to play competitive tennis! I still enjoyed playing. And yes, my parents just took it for granted that we would take part but nobody ever pushed us to win at all costs. I think this filtered down to my own sons.

I find myself very ambivalent here. I feel if children do not want to compete they shouldn't. but, but, but.... I was no good at sport, illness, dyspraxia and poor eyesight did for that, but I did enjoy the pressure that it put on me to really do my best at whatever it was and to enjoy knowing I had beaten my personal best or, for me, done really well, even if I knew I did not stand a cat in hell's chance of winning.

I think the problem is that whenever we think about competition, we think of winning and losing when perhaps we should look at it in terms of personal challenge. I can still remember very clearly and delightedly those odd one or two occasions when for some reason I actually did do quite well at some unexpected sporting activity.

The argument against competition is that it disheartens and undermines the losers, personally, I cannot remember ever being particularly bothered about losing and i wonder whether the child simply reflects the attitude of the adults round it.

Whilst I can understand that some children dislike competitive sport, many sports would become redundant without the competitive element and the flip side of the article is that some children enjoy the competitive sport. I was lucky enough to attend a school that had fabulous sporting facilities both indoor and outdoor. Taking part in competitive sport taught me to try harder if it was something that I enjoyed doing. I hated hockey so I opted not to be in the hockey team. So, maybe a choice of sport would be the answer?

Some children dislike sport altogether so maybe something a little slower paced (like golf or even fishing) could be done instead where it is about completing the course or actually catching something.

I do think it's important that children learn to compete as it is what they will be facing at interviews - competing with other applicants so total removal of competition wouldn't, imo, do them any favours.