1
Should Children be Encouraged to Participate in Competitive Athletics?
The United States has one of the largest and fastest growing rates of obesity in children. The lack
of physical activity and unwholesome diet are among the major contributing factors. Therefore, children
are encouraged to increase the presence of sports in their daily life. According to the scientific data, at
least 30 minutes of energetic physical activity five times a week reduce the risk of heart disease and
increases the general sense of well-being (Allender, Cowburn, & Foster). However, when children engage
themselves in sports, their parents and coaches may want them to do more than just participate. It is
common knowledge that competitions teach children to push themselves beyond their limits, explore their
abilities, and prepare them for future challenging situations. Whereas it can be true in many cases, there is
also a concern that children may get injured, psychologically overstressed, and develop serious medical
conditions. The general pediatric guideline recommends young children to participate in a variety of
different sporting activities leaving specialization until puberty. The following paper discusses whether
competitive athletics should be postponed until early adolescence with children guided in their practice
with care to prevent overuse injuries and burnout, especially considering that sport practice is beneficial
for physical and psychological states.
Historically, sporting activities are associated with improved health conditions and increased
energy levels. It has always been deemed beneficial for children to be engaged in sports activities. Sports
and physical activities are linked to many positive outcomes such as lower body weight, a lower risk of
chronic illnesses and high blood pressure, stronger muscles and tendons, and general well-being (The
Aspen Institute). Childhood and early adolescence are a time when children lay down their future habits
and lifestyle. Nowadays, obesity is a growing concern for children. In the next decade its rate is “expected
to reach 40%,” whereas “Type 2 diabetes is expected to affect 300 million people worldwide” (Allender,
Cowburn, & Foster). According to the research data, those teenagers who participate in physical fitness
activities are “eight times as likely to be active at age 24” than their less active counterparts. 37% of those
2
who are currently engaged in sports used to play sports when they were children (The Aspen Institute).
Furthermore, sport helps children’s academic success by improving their attention and the ability to
concentrate. Simultaneously, children that get used to sports environment exhibit improved leadership
abilities and self-esteem. It teaches them valuable life lessons about respecting the adversary, staying
strong in a challenging situation, and maintaining self-esteem no matter what (The Aspen Institute).
While even moderate exercise is beneficial for children’s physical and psychological
development, parents and coaches often demand extreme involvement in a particular kind of sport in
order to get the best results from children. Out of all children involved in organized sports, less than half
participate year-round, which can result in psychological burnout and physiological injuries due to
overuse. Meanwhile, research shows that young children benefit more from varied activities, both in
terms of psychological and physiological health (Allender, Cowburn, & Foster). Without the stress to win
and show the best results, children enjoy sports competitions and outdoor sporting events more.
Even though children benefit from a variety of different sporting activities, they often can be
subjected to early specialization in an attempt to make them more eligible for professional sports and
college scholarships. There are different reasons behind such choices. While coaches are willing to
discover new sports stars and Olympic champions, parents may want to fulfill their own unachieved
dreams through their children or improve their financial conditions. Additionally, television broadcasts of
athletic events and competitions generate interest and reveal that there are many young participants. Both
children and their parents get excited and eagerly engage in the chase without weighing up all advantages
and disadvantages of such life-changing choices (Committee on Sports Medicine and Fitness 154).
Meanwhile, such choices can result in a variety of problems due to an abnormal degree of
exercise. Children need moderate levels of physical exercise for good health, but young athletes are
usually engaged in physical activities to the maximum. In their 2006 Clinical Report, the Committee on
Sports Medicine and Fitness say that “endurance events, weekend athletic tournaments, year-round
3
training on multiple teams, and the multisport athlete” can result in overuse injuries and burnout (1242).
Young athletes training regimen should be varied in terms of sporting activities and have enough time for
recreation and rest. The general recommendation is: “1 sporting activity [should be limited] to a
maximum of 5 days per week with at least 1 day off from any organized physical activity” (Brenner 1243).
In addition, children in sports should have a 2-3 month repose to recover from their injuries and rest from
their major sporting activity.
In case of neglecting the pediatric recommendations, psychological and physiological
consequences can follow that will decrease an athlete’s motivation and sports performance. Physically, an
intense training regimen can be manifested in overuse injuries. Not having enough time to recover, an
athlete’s muscles, bones, and tendons develop from moderate and severe pain during sports performance
to unabated pain even without exercise (Brenner 1243). One of the reasons for overuse injuries is the fact
that children’s bodies are not ready for such intensive exercising regimen and bones and muscles become
impaired. Another reason is that young athletes have not learned how to do particular sporting elements
correctly enough and their bodies overcompensate. One part of the body takes the most stress and gets
injured. For example, “a young baseball pitcher who has not yet learned proper throwing mechanics (i. e.
recruiting the entire kinetic chain – from foot to hand – instead of just the arm) is at risk of traction
apophysitis of the medial elbow” (Brenner 1243). Among other issues that can develop in young athletes
with intensive training schedules are hypertension, heat stress, a lack of iron and calcium, delayed sexual
maturation, secondary amenorrhea, and prolonged amenorrhea in females (Avner et al.1566; Committee
on Sports Medicine and Fitness 156). Psychologically, overtraining can manifest itself in a lack of
enthusiasm and chronic pain in muscles or tendons as an excuse to skip training sessions. The condition is
called burnout and can be prevented by introducing variety and variability into practice (Brenner 1243).
As soon as children see their training sessions as fun they enjoy them and perform well. Therefore,
coaches should pay closer attention to their charges performance, as even a slightest decrease can indicate
a possible problem. At the same time, young athletes should have enough time to get rest and heal.
4
However, the proponents of rigorous workouts for young athletes argue that an emphasis on
participation rather than on achievements resulted in a generation of underachievers. In the article
“Should Kids "Participate" or "Compete" in Sports?” Christian Marchegiani argues that the “effort for
participation” theory is responsible for the generation of millennials who are characterized by entitlement
and narcissism (Marchegiani). Marchegiani warns that it was excessive worrying of parents and
psychologists for children’s psychological state that resulted in people who think that they are entitled to
something only because they made an effort rather than because they truly earned it or are worthy of a
prize. Marchegiani claims that by placing an emphasis on “trying to win” rather than “the act of winning”
parents “take away a child’s desire to try for something” (Marchegiani). However, not all children want to
win. Some are perfectly happy to simply participate and have fun. For harmonious psychological
development, they should be allowed to do it until early adolescence (Committee on Sports Medicine and
Fitness 156). When children reach the age of puberty they can be subjected to specialization and choose
one physical activity to pursue. This way they will exhibit steady performance and be less prone to
injuries.
Given the latest surge in teenage obesity, physical activity is extremely important for children.
However, practitioners should not discriminate between participating and competing. Participation is very
beneficial for children of all ages. It stimulates brain activity and prevents problems with excessive
weight as well as prevents heart diseases. Children enjoy outdoor games and have fun participating in
various sporting activities. However, due to media coverage of large sporting events and due to personal
reasons and financial problems parents and children might be willing to practice more rigorously to
achieve significant results quicker. It can be detrimental both to the physical and psychological condition
of children. A child under severe psychological stress can develop a lack of motivation for sports practice
and in the worst scenario will be permanently injured or traumatized. Therefore, coaches and parents
should remember that a strict regimen of practice and rest should be observed. Young athletes should
5
have enough time to relax after practice on a daily basis and have periodic breaks throughout the year in
order to prevent overuse injuries and burnout.
6
Works Cited
Allender, Steven, Cowburn, Gill, and Charlie Foster. “Understanding Participation in Sport and Physical
Activity among Children and Adults: A Review of Qualitative Studies.” Health Educational
Research 21.6(2006), 826-835. doi:10.1093/her/cyl063. Print.
Avner, Ellis D. et al. Pediatric Nephrology. 6th ed. Berlin: Springer-Verlag, 2009. Print.
Brenner, Joel S. “Overuse Injuries, Overtraining, and Burnout in Child and Adolescent Athletes.”
Pediatrics 119.6 (2007). Pediatrics.aappublications.org. American Academy of Pediatrics,
2010. Web. 21 Apr. 2016.
Committee on Sports Medicine and Fitness. “Intensive Training and Sports Specialization in Young
Athletes.” Pediatrics 106.1 (2000). Pediatrics.aappublications.org. American Academy of
Pediatrics, 2000. Web. 21 Apr. 2016.
Marchegiani, Christian. “Should Kids "Participate" or "Compete" in Sports?” Breakingmuscle.com.
Breaking Muscle HQ, n. d. Web. 21 Apr. 2016.
The Aspen Institute. “Facts: Sports Activity and Children” Aspenprojectplay.org. The Aspen Institute, n.
d. Web. 21 Apr. 2016.
WRITTEN COMMUNICATION VALUE RUBRIC
for more information, please contact value@aacu.org
The VALUE rubrics were developed by teams of faculty experts representing colleges and universities across the United States through a process that examined many existing campus rubrics and related documents for each
learning outcome and incorporated additional feedback from faculty. The rubrics articulate fundamental criteria for each learning outcome, with performance descriptors demonstrating progressively more sophisticated levels of
attainment. The rubrics are intended for institutional-level use in evaluating and discussing student learning, not for grading. The core expectations articulated in all 15 of the VALUE rubrics can and should be translated into the
language of individual campuses, disciplines, and even courses. The utility of the VALUE rubrics is to position learning at all undergraduate levels within a basic framework of expectations such that evidence of learning can by
shared nationally through a common dialog and understanding of student success.
Definition
Written communication is the development and expression of ideas in writing. Written communication involves learning to work in many genres and styles. It can involve working with many different writing technologies,
and mixing texts, data, and images. Written communication abilities develop through iterative experiences across the curriculum.
Framing Language
This writing rubric is designed for use in a wide variety of educational institutions. The most clear finding to emerge from decades of research on writing assessment is that the best writing assessments are locally
determined and sensitive to local context and mission. Users of this rubric should, in the end, consider making adaptations and additions that clearly link the language of the rubric to individual campus contexts.
This rubric focuses assessment on how specific written work samples or collectios of work respond to specific contexts. The central question guiding the rubric is "How well does writing respond to the needs of audience(s)
for the work?" In focusing on this question the rubric does not attend to other aspects of writing that are equally important: issues of writing process, writing strategies, writers' fluency with different modes of textual production or
publication, or writer's growing engagement with writing and disciplinarity through the process of writing.
Evaluators using this rubric must have information about the assignments or purposes for writing guiding writers' work. Also recommended is including reflective work samples of collections of work that address such
questions as: What decisions did the writer make about audience, purpose, and genre as s/he compiled the work in the portfolio? How are those choices evident in the writing -- in the content, organization and structure, reasoning,
evidence, mechanical and surface conventions, and citational systems used in the writing? This will enable evaluators to have a clear sense of how writers understand the assignments and take it into consideration as they evaluate
The first section of this rubric addresses the context and purpose for writing. A work sample or collections of work can convey the context and purpose for the writing tasks it showcases by including the writing assignments
associated with work samples. But writers may also convey the context and purpose for their writing within the texts. It is important for faculty and institutions to include directions for students about how they should represent
their writing contexts and purposes.
Faculty interested in the research on writing assessment that has guided our work here can consult the National Council of Teachers of English/Council of Writing Program Administrators' White Paper on Writing
Assessment (2008; www.wpacouncil.org/whitepaper) and the Conference on College Composition and Communication's Writing Assessment: A Position Statement (2008; www.ncte.org/cccc/resources/positions/123784.htm)
Glossary
The definitions that follow were developed to clarify terms and concepts used in this rubric only.
•
Content Development: The ways in which the text explores and represents its topic in relation to its audience and purpose.
•
Context of and purpose for writing: The context of writing is the situation surrounding a text: who is reading it? who is writing it? Under what circumstances will the text be shared or circulated? What social or political
factors might affect how the text is composed or interpreted? The purpose for writing is the writer's intended effect on an audience. Writers might want to persuade or inform; they might want to report or summarize information;
they might want to work through complexity or confusion; they might want to argue with other writers, or connect with other writers; they might want to convey urgency or amuse; they might write for themselves or for an
assignment or to remember.
•
Disciplinary conventions: Formal and informal rules that constitute what is seen generally as appropriate within different academic fields, e.g. introductory strategies, use of passive voice or first person point of view,
expectations for thesis or hypothesis, expectations for kinds of evidence and support that are appropriate to the task at hand, use of primary and secondary sources to provide evidence and support arguments and to document
critical perspectives on the topic. Writers will incorporate sources according to disciplinary and genre conventions, according to the writer's purpose for the text. Through increasingly sophisticated use of sources, writers develop an
ability to differentiate between their own ideas and the ideas of others, credit and build upon work already accomplished in the field or issue they are addressing, and provide meaningful examples to readers.
•
Evidence: Source material that is used to extend, in purposeful ways, writers' ideas in a text.
•
Genre conventions: Formal and informal rules for particular kinds of texts and/or media that guide formatting, organization, and stylistic choices, e.g. lab reports, academic papers, poetry, webpages, or personal essays.
•
Sources: Texts (written, oral, behavioral, visual, or other) that writers draw on as they work for a variety of purposes -- to extend, argue with, develop, define, or shape their ideas, for example.
Page 1
WRITTEN COMMUNICATION VALUE RUBRIC
Written communication is the development and expression of ideas in writing. Written communication involves learning to work in many genres and styles. It can involve working with many different writing
technologies, and mixing texts, data, and images. Written communication abilities develop through iterative experiences across the curriculum.
Evaluators are encouraged to assign a zero to any work sample or collection of work that does not meet benchmark (cell one) level performance.
Capstone
Milestones
4
3
2
Benchmark
1
Context of and Purpose for Writing
Includes considerations of audience,
purpose, and the circumstances
surrounding the writing task(s).
Demonstrates a thorough understanding
of context, audience, and purpose that
is responsive to the assigned task(s) and
focuses all elements of the work.
Demonstrates adequate consideration
of context, audience, and purpose and a
clear focus on the assigned task(s) (e.g.,
the task aligns with audience, purpose,
and context).
Demonstrates awareness of context,
audience, purpose, and to the assigned
tasks(s) (e.g., begins to show awareness
of audience's perceptions and
assumptions).
Demonstrates minimal attention to
context, audience, purpose, and to the
assigned tasks(s) (e.g., expectation of
instructor or self as audience).
Content Development
Uses appropriate, relevant, and
compelling content to illustrate mastery
of the subject, conveying the writer's
understanding, and shaping the whole
work.
Uses appropriate, relevant, and
compelling content to explore ideas
within the context of the discipline and
shape the whole work.
Uses appropriate and relevant content
to develop and explore ideas through
most of the work.
Uses appropriate and relevant content
to develop simple ideas in some parts of
the work.
Genre and Disciplinary Conventions
Formal and informal rules inherent in
the expectations for writing in particular
forms and/or academic fields (please see
glossary).
Demonstrates detailed attention to and
successful execution of a wide range of
conventions particular to a specific
discipline and/or writing task (s)
including organization, content,
presentation, formatting, and stylistic
choices
Demonstrates consistent use of
important conventions particular to a
specific discipline and/or writing task(s),
including organization, content,
presentation, and stylistic choices
Follows expectations appropriate to a
specific discipline and/or writing task(s)
for basic organization, content, and
presentation
Attempts to use a consistent system for
basic organization and presentation.
Sources and Evidence
Demonstrates skillful use of high-quality,
credible, relevant sources to develop
ideas that are appropriate for the
discipline and genre of the writing
Demonstrates consistent use of credible,
relevant sources to support ideas that
are situated within the discipline and
genre of the writing.
Demonstrates an attempt to use
credible and/or relevant sources to
support ideas that are appropriate for
the discipline and genre of the writing.
Demonstrates an attempt to use sources
to support ideas in the writing.
Control of Syntax and Mechanics
Uses graceful language that skillfully
communicates meaning to readers with
clarity and fluency, and is virtually errorfree.
Uses straightforward language that
generally conveys meaning to readers.
The language in the portfolio has few
errors.
Uses language that generally conveys
meaning to readers with clarity,
although writing may include some
errors.
Uses language that sometimes impedes
meaning because of errors in usage.
Page 2
Purchase answer to see full
attachment