Brooke K., 17, rises early in the San Francisco pre-dawn and heads for the courts, a bag of incredibly expensive rackets slung over her shoulder, for the first of three or four hours of practice. Before school.
In Pittsburgh, Amanda T., also 17, wakes to the shriek of the alarm. Bleary-eyed, she remembers track practice and her friends, and the goal of getting in shape, and that's (barely) enough to drag her from bed.
A star athlete and a social player. They may seem worlds apart, but are they?
Benefits of Girls in Sports
The research is clear: girls get great dividends from being involved in sports, whether it's for competitive or social reasons. According to Dr. Theresa Rohr-Kirchgraber, a specialist in adolescent medicine at Emory University School of Medicine, teens involved in sports:
Engage in sexual activity later than their non-sports peers, which decreases risk of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases and lowers rates of early pregnancy
Reduce their risk of obesity and type II diabetes
Perform better academically
Experience lower rates of depression and anxiety
Compelling stuff. So sign her up, right? Hold on. If you're a typical parent, you may be about to make your first mistake.
Annie Hynes 09/09/07
After being in a car accident, my daughter was not able to play sports the way she used to. She loved tennis and volleyball and just can’t do those anymore. But luckily her school is offering yoga and it’s really great for her. I think a lot of people don’t realize that “sports” doesn’t have to involve teams and points and winning.
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