Youth Voice – Good sports

We are officially into winter, which means the winter sports are in full swing! 

For parents, you get the delight of braving the wind and rain on the sidelines, and for young people, you get the joy of getting into the game! 

There’s no doubt that sport on the Coast and across New Zealand makes up a big part of who we are and how we spend our weekends. In fact, research from Sport NZ shows that being physically active creates happier, healthier people, better connected communities and a stronger New Zealand. That’s a win for everyone! Furthermore, sport is a great teacher, one of the greatest lessons I have learnt over the years from being in the game is sportsmanship.

Growing up on the Coast, I enjoyed playing a range of sports for school and local clubs, and certainly giving it my best shot on the court or field. 

Whilst I loved playing sport, I wasn’t the kid to get the Player of the Year award at prizegiving. As my friends celebrated their great accolades and top achievements, I found my parents creating space on a trophy shelf for sportsmanship awards – my Hibiscus Coast Netball Year 8 Sportsmanship trophy still features to this day! 

However, at the time I thought it was more of a sign of failure, I didn’t reach the top in sport so instead I got a well done for being-nice-on-the-court award! 

However, over the years, I have come to realise that good sportsmanship is everything. I’ve watched opponents smash their tennis racquets, fights break out on court and referees verbally abused. None of which is pleasant to watch or experience. So, what do a lot of these outbursts stem from? They stem from our culture’s obsession with winning as the primary purpose and source of pride from sport. Which makes me wonder, what would happen if our focus shifted a bit more from winning at all costs, to sportsmanship superseding winning and individual glory? Of course, this isn’t undermining the importance of striving to do your best and seeking to win – and I’m not just asking the question to increase the value of my sportsmanship trophy shelf!

Sport can be a training ground for life – it helps build character and teaches us to support one other, to encourage and cheer people on, whether they are on our team or the opposition. It teaches us to have a positive attitude through all circumstances. We learn to be respectful; to the ref, opponents, coaches and not to trash talk people. Finally, we learn emotional regulation when it gets heated, and how to exercise self-control.

The reality is, in life we’re going to win and lose at different things. We’re going to be faced with conflicts and challenges. However, if we can learn to win with humility, and persevere with dignity, then we, alongside everyone around us, will be better for it. 

So, next time you head to the Metro Park football fields, Stanmore Bay Leisure Centre or the Manly netball court, remember it’s fun to win, but also let’s invest in a culture of good sportsmanship.

This makes for a stronger, positive sporting community, and ultimately, sets everyone up for a win in life!