In the midst of the Rio Olympics and the second month of the summer holidays, this could be the perfect time to get your kids into a sport that is just right for them.
When London hosted the Olympics back in 2012, organisers hoped the legacy of the games would be that more British people, especially children, took and interest in sport. Now, we might not have Olympic heats on our doorstep but watching athletes like Tom Daley , Adam Peaty and Charlotte Dujardin is sure to inspire children to get outdoors trying to take up a new sport.
With the new school year might come a new team activity and in South Cumbria there are plenty to choose from. You don't need to be a 100m sprinter as there are so many alternative sports for kids and many found their niche at Ulverston Leisure Centre's free Community Games Day.
Hannah Paling , Active Communities Coordinator at Ulverston Leisure Centre, has been organising these family fun days for three years and she knows just how important it is to get children outdoors playing sport, or indoors finding their niche in the active world. She said: "We always run the Community Games day the first Sunday after the children have broken up for school and we encourage the whole family to come along and try sports out together. It's healthy for children to integrate with their family too and do stuff together.
"Football, rugby and tennis are always very popular but this year we had a few unusual sports to try out too such as archery and American football.
"I don't have much experience with American football myself but we had representatives come from our local team the Walney Terriers and it was a great success. The whole day had a good turnout, I was very pleased."
When it comes to Olympic activites Hannah will be running a diving workshop during the third week of August for any children who want to channel their inner Tom Daley , she said: "When you watch the Olympics on TV you can't help but be incredibly impressed. Kids do watch a lot of TV now and of course they will be amazed by the skill on show at the games.
"I do think coverage like that encourages kids to get in to sport. It's like after Wimbledon: we get a lot of interest in lessons and courses at the tennis centre; and during the Olympics the athletes become like idols and they are usually good role models for children."
For children who would perhaps be more in to dancing there were Zumba classes available to try out at the games days, in a society where we have such a high rate of childhood obesity it is so important to get children in to an activity they enjoy rather than racking up too much screen time in front of the computer, television or iPad.
During the Community Games Day, families could try their hand at Zumba, MOSSA Fight, spinning, Wriggle & Jiggle, netball, tennis, hockey, rounders, football, rugby, cricket, american football, swimming and football. If you are interested in getting your child involved with any of these activities or teams more information is available at: www.northcountryleisure.org.uk.
To find out more about staying active in Cumbria visit: www.goactiveincumbria.com.
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