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By Robin Sauerwein Staying active is as important as ever today. When thinking about what type of sports your child will play, sometimes it is easy to fall back on the same old sports offered at school. Your choices are most likely limited to three or four sports. But what if the “standard” team sports -baseball, football, soccer are not for your kids? If Little League isn’t their idea of fun then take a look as some of these nontraditional sports and see if one may just pique their interest. Dance When you think dance, do you think tutus, toe shoes… girls only? Well, think again! While not usually classified as a sport, dance actually requires many of the same attributes as organized sports - precision, endurance, practice, working as a team and even competitiveness. And it is most certainly not just for girls. Dance offers benefits on many levels: physical, social, emotional and mental. Not only will young people get a good workout, but they also learn about their body. Founded in 1987, Young Dance is a local dance organization in Minneapolis that welcomes kids of all ages and abilities. Young Dance offers creative movement for preschoolers and modern dance classes for kids ages 7 and up. All classes are open and do not require an audition. Artistic director, Gretchen Pick said, “Kids work together - sharing ideas and experiences through movement. It can be scary, but because of the very personal nature, the kids are very respectful of each other. Here is a place where people are treating each other with respect, seeing and listening to others, creating space for everyone’s experiences – successes and failures.” Boys Get Movin’ is one of their classes designed especially for boys and taught by a male instructor. Its popularity recently prompted the addition of a second session. Justin Jones dance instructor for the class said, “Every child has the impulse to dance, to express themselves physically. Unfortunately, the idea that it is not ’manly’ for boys to study dance is one that persists in our culture. Boys Get Movin’ offers a safe space for boys who are interested in dancing to try it out with a group of other like-minded peers and with a male teacher.” The class works on strength, flexibility and coordination through a variety of warm-up exercises. And by engaging in a number of games and improvisations, they also learn about the basic components of dance: space, energy and time. Jones said that the class builds self-confidence as students learn how to master a sequence of movement, plus it gives boys the opportunity to express themselves. The hope is that by the end of the class, they learn that dance is definitely not just for girls. It can be a both fun and rewarding. “Recently a very enthusiastic student asked me, ’Can we do a dance without any rules, just you put on the music and we do whatever we want?’ It was clear he had something to express that wasn’t related to the lesson theme of the day. I took his suggestion and an amazing dance unfolded before me. I was moved by the uninhibited freedom, the complex individuality in the movement and the joy of dancing they exhibited.” What sets Young Dance apart from other dance organizations is their commitment to making dance accessible. An example is a new project called Bridges Dance Project. Nic Zapko, a Twin Cities’ actor who is deaf, will work with company members and students from around the Twin Cities who are deaf or hard of hearing. Participants will use ASL to tell a story and will be featured at the Young Dance Spring Concert, Building Bridges on May 14-16 at the Barbara Barker Center for Dance at the U of M. If your child is between the ages of 10-18 and is deaf or hard of hearing and would like to participate, please email Gretchen at gretchen@youngdance.org or call 612-423-3064. Young Dance Rowing In a state known for its very long winters, it may come as a surprise to learn that rowing is a very popular sport among both adults and young people in the Twin Cities. The Twin Cities boasts three active rowing clubs: Minneapolis Rowing Club (MRC), Minnesota Boat Club, (MBC) and Twin Cities Youth Rowing (TCYR). MRC and MBC have rowing for both adults and juniors. They have members ranging from age 14 to over 70 and have been around for over 100 years. TCYR was founded in 2008 and is for high school and college youth only. Junior rowing is for youth ages 14-19. The junior rowers start training together on land in the spring and move to the water when conditions permit. Teams travel to regattas and compete in the summer and fall. Rowing is a sport that uses long narrow “shells” that glide on the surface of the water. Rowers sit on seats that move on sliders and wear shoes strapped into the boat. Most youth do “sweep rowing” in fours and eights, when each rower pulls only one oar on alternate sides of the boat. These boats also have a coxswain, a smaller athlete who sits at one end and is responsible for steering the boat and directing the rowers. Rowers develop full-body strength and conditioning. According to TCYRC.org, “Rowing is a physically challenging sport that utilizes all of the body’s major muscle groups, not just the upper body. It has been said that rowing a 2,000m race is physiologically equivalent to playing two NBA games back to back.” Beginners participate in a “learn to row” session held in spring, then start on the novice squad. Some high schools offer athletic letters for varsity rowers and coxswains. Caroline Jolstad, a senior at Minneapolis Southwest High School, got involved with rowing at MRC after someone told her that it was a good way to cross-train for volleyball. Many colleges offer competitive rowing programs with scholarships, especially for girls. Jolstad was recruited by several universities. She says she is excited about rowing in college and would not consider attending a school that did not have a program. Junior rowers pay a club membership fee and a program fee (for coaching). Fees cover two hours of instruction five days a week, so it is a good value. The only equipment you need to buy is a racing uniform. There are additional expenses for athletes who travel with the team to compete at regattas, a fun and important part of rowing. However, it is such a popular sport in Minnesota, there are also several opportunities to compete locally. Jolstad and the MRC Juniors won many races in the past year and were awarded the team championship at the North West International Rowing Association (NWIRA) Championships held this past August in Kenora, Ontario, Canada. Junior teams from MRC and MBC also went to Boston to compete in the Head of the Charles Regatta (HOCR.org), the biggest and most prestigious rowing competition in North America. The 2009 NWIRA Championships will be held in the Twin Cities. All three clubs will have youth competing. All three clubs offer summer “Learn to Row” camps or novice programs for ages 13-18, giving youth a chance to learn the basics and experience the thrill that has fueled this timeless sport. Minneapolis Rowing Club Minnesota Boat Club Twin Cities Youth Rowing Visit the website to learn about Parent/ Student info sessions held in March. Martial Arts Martial Arts is another great nontraditional sport with many different disciplines to choose from and benefits for all types of kids and athletes. “It’s an excellent full body cardio workout that everyone can do. It’s an individual sport that has the feeling of a team with the fellow classmates. Everyone is a champion as they earn new belts. They learn lessons they will use throughout life,” said Katherine Pierren, Sensi at JK Martial Arts. JK Martial Arts specializes in a karate style known as Shorei-Ryu along with kick boxing, which uses techniques from many styles. They are the only school in the Twin Cities teaching this style. As a discipline, this form of karate offers a specific focus for students who have learning challenges like ADD, ADHD, autism, and Asperger’s. According to Pierren, any child can learn martial arts. “The key to teaching a child is to understand how they learn: visually, auditory, kinesthetic or combination. The other key is to accept that a person’s personal best is different than the next person’s.” Martial Arts can also be a sport for the whole family. JK has students as young as four up to their oldest who is 66. Participants not only get the physical benefits, such as cardiovascular exercise, strengthening, coordination and flexibility, but it also teaches valuable lessons in respect, discipline, work ethic, honor and responsibility Kids learn how to speak with adults while gaining self esteem and self control. Yet some parents feel apprehensive about martial arts for their children. A common misconception is that karate, for instance, is all about fighting and hitting one another. Pierren said, “Karate increases our self awareness and confidence so that the moves are understood to be used in self defense as the very last resort. Using karate outside of school is not permitted.” “Martial Arts is considered a lifestyle. There is always more to learn, she said. “Most students stay beyond their black belt because of the great physical and mental benefits and the camaraderie.” The cost for taking lessons at the JK Martial Arts School is comparable to other sports programs, ranging from about $10-$15 per class. Equipment is minimal: a uniform, belt and pads. JK Martial Arts Ultimate Frisbee It’s hard to believe that a sport that boasts 600,000 participants worldwide can still be considered nontraditional. The game of Ultimate just celebrated its 40th birthday last year and continues to grow in popularity every year. Young people typically start playing the game when they are in college but increasingly kids in high school all the way down to elementary school are now taking up the sport. Ultimate, for those not yet in the know, is a fast paced, non-contact field game that combines the non-stop movement and endurance of soccer with the aerial passing skills of football, only using a frisbee, or disc as it called. A game is played by two seven-player teams on a field similar to football. The object is to score by catching a pass in the opponent’s end zone. The disc may be advanced only by completing a pass to a teammate. This team sport is governed by the “Spirit of the Game” meaning that it is self-officiated. Any disputes on fouls or points during play are mediated between the two players. It teaches conflict resolution, Greg Williams, a player and coach of Ultimate said. Only at championship levels does the game have “observers” to help solve any dispute. Locally, the mission of the Minnesota High School Ultimate League is to provide high quality opportunities for Minnesota high school students to learn and to play the sport of Ultimate Frisbee. The Minnesota High School championship was held in Maple Plain last year with 36 high school teams, both boys and girls competing. The teams all have coaches and parents who support them. If a high school does not have Ultimate they can contact the Minnesota High School Ultimate League to help them find coaches and to get the program set up. Youth looking to play can contact the Ultimate Player’s Association to find out how to get involved in the sport. Ultimate’s physical benefits parallel that of soccer. “You are running all the time,” Williams said. It’s a great cardiovascular activity yet it has no intentional contact. Since there is no heavy hitting or tackling like in football or hockey, injuries are few. Another benefit is the cost. To play Ultimate all you need is a field, orange cones, a disc and soccer shirts. Ultimate Player’s Association Minnesota High School Ultimate
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