UWC Basketball

I take the position that UWCSEA should pay equal amount of attention to all sports. If swimming get to train for a whole year, basketball should get to as well. Some will say that this can’t happen because basketball only works to go for a season, just like the NBA. But, I say that we could train for the whole year. This way kids get to play their sport for a long time, we would create a more “gelled” and better team, and could become better players as individuals as well.

Firstly, if we play basketball for a whole year, it will create a more bonded and gelled team, naturally. The players in the team will be more experienced, and trained well. An important example of this is from my own personal experience, I can tell you that playing a match right after having met my teammates is quite difficult. We don’t even know each other's strengths or weaknesses well enough yet and, forget that, we don’t know each other well enough yet. In addition to this, an article called “Basketball Health Benefits” by Better Health Channel says that one of the advantages of basketball is that “it helps you to make new friends and see them regularly teach you about being a good team player”.

This makes me think that, with going into matches and only have 1 season a year with your team, you can’t become as close to them and see them develop. It is not possible to see them teach you over a long period of time, . Thinking about swimmers or gymnasts, they have made such close bonds with each other because they get to train almost everyday, for the whole year. Having bonds with your teammates means you feel more comfortable around them and as the evidence says, you can see them regularly teach you about being a good team player. With basketball only coming for a season a year with training twice a week, the bonds and how well a team can potentially work together, can’t happen.

Secondly, basketball is majorly beneficial to one’s health in many different ways. It not only develops the team and how good you are at the sport, but it also develops your individual fitness and health, in ways that other sports could not.

An important example of is an article that says, “Basketball promotes cardiovascular fitness. It involves intense running and jumping, which gives the heart and lungs a through workout. It also tones your muscles with the running, jumping, dribbling and shooting.” Even though basketball might not be a sport that “builds muscle” it does tone your muscles and trains your cardiovascular fitness, which is helpful in many different situations.

Also I quote that, “A typical basketball game simultaneously develops speed, hand-eye coordination and cardiovascular endurance in a way that sports such as baseball & softball might not. Moving quickly back and forth across the court develops lower - body fitness, while shooting, defending and passing develops upper body fitness. (Stan Mack, June 24 2015.)

Basketball not only makes you better at the sport, but it improves your physical being and health by a lot as well. As the evidence says, “in a way that sports such as baseball and softball might not.” This shows that basketball does have its own unique benefits that other sports might not be capable of. The amount this sport can improve all different areas of our physical fitness, imagine letting us get to play it for a whole year. 

Last but not least, UWC young athletes would get to play the sport of their choice for the whole year. Swimmers or gymnasts who get to do the sport that they love for a whole academic year, and train about 5-6 times a week. Why shouldn’t we? I understand that it could be difficult for our school to supply us with basketball courts and basketballs for the whole year. People argue that the gymnastics gym is set and fixed, and so is the swimming pool. But, the question I ask is why does our school pay so much attention to gymnastics and swimming? How come they have fixed courts or venues for those 2 sports?

Something our school could do is perhaps take us to outdoor courts and organise something to give us as young basketball players, an opportunity to play basketball for longer than one season.

Something that is significant to notice is that when you go to our UWC school shop, swimming jumpers are available to everyone, even people who don’t do swimming. This is only for swimming, not any other. This proves that our school pays so much attention to swimming, much more than it does to any other sports. 

All this adds up to suggest that our school needs to pay more of an equal attention to all sports in our school, instead of just swimming and gymnastics. For us as basketball players we should get the opportunity to train just as much as swimming and gymnastics, because it is not like those sports are any more “special.” Basketball has multiple benefits to individuals, for example cardiovascular fitness, it creates bonds within a team and it gives us an opportunity to train just as much as other sports.

Bibliography

Better Health. N.p., n.d. Web. <https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/basketball-health-benefits>.

"Importance of Playing Basketball." LIVESTRONG.COM. LIVESTRONG.COM, 24 June 2015. Web. 15 Mar. 2016. <http://www.livestrong.com/article/464674-importance-of-playing-basketball/>.

"Top 10 Health Benefits of Basketball." Health Fitness Revolution. N.p., 08 Apr. 2015. Web. 22 Mar. 2016. <http://www.healthfitnessrevolution.com/top-10-health-benefits-basketball/>.

You vs Pressure

 Pressure from Competitive Sports

To start us off, close your eyes and imagine this scene. You are at a football game, the sun glaring down at you, beads of sweat racing down your cheek as you cheer your team on. In fact, your son is in this team. The ball flies into the net and the crowd goes wild. You go ecstatic, screaming your head off until realising, that the players are all 8 years old and you are sitting in a set of bleachers, alongside a crowd that consists of 3 people. Believe me, my mom used to go pretty wild.

 Onto a more serious note, many people believe that children receive pressure that could emotionally and physically scar them for life, but I believe that certain types of pressure can boost a child’s performance, mentally and physically.  Pressure at a young age helps you prepare for the real world and when you start to gain responsibilities. Pressure to practice and get better helps children make themselves into adults. 

Competitive sports not only teaches the values of resilience but it also reinforces it. This is significant because this skill teaches kids to give their all in the toughest of times and deliver results under pressure. “I feel very lucky to have got involved in sport when I was quite young. I was ten when my parents took me to an open athletics day in Sheffield where I got the opportunity to try athletics for the first time and instantly fell in love with sport. This was the start of something that gave me focus and determination throughout my teenage years.” (Ennis-Hill, 2015). This shows that child athletes start to gain a sense of determination and dedication. 

I also have to agree that pressure can be harmful in many ways. Being an avid participator in competitive sports, I have experienced many failures and had to deal with large amounts of mental trauma after huge losses. I was devastated for the first few days but in the end of the day, it’s just a game. Through all the injuries and failures, you learn the values of teamwork, sportsmanship and resilience and this is what my argument is built around.

On the topic of injuries, there really aren’t that many serious injuries in the world of child competitive sports. Allyson Pollock, a physician and public-health professor conducted a study determining the dangers of rugby. She found out that a child playing 15 matches a season had 1 in 6 chance of getting injured (2014). This is important because many believe that kids get injured constantly. 

In most but not all sports, teams are required. Teams play a huge part in dealing with pressure. Whether or not you are friends with your teammates, if you ever lose a big game or have too much pressure on your head, having a team experiencing the same thing honestly gives you some comfort. In 4th grade, my football team and I were in the finals for under 11 football. We were all nervous yet excited, blood rushing through our veins, itching to get onto the field. Long story short, my team and I lost. We were devastated. Being in 4th grade and not losing a single game in our entire season, we didn’t know how to react. I still remember the way I walked off that pitch, a look of regret and heartbreak on my face. But I knew that my team was feeling the exact same thing and knowing that if we were a team and were going to go down together, gave me a little bit of redemption.

In conclusion, I believe that positive pressure from peers and adults can shape a child into a more mentally strong and resilient person and can give them values that will turn them into adults. I can also acknowledge the fact that the majority of children quit sports not because of pressure or injuries, or rather just not liking that/those sport/sports. 

Technology at break times

An issue that is hotly debated is whether technology should or shouldn’t be used in break times. I think that by making kids not use their technology, they can be more social with other friends in school and at the same time save their eyes. You could also spend the time doing something physical, because break and maybe PE are the only to times of day during the full 8 hours of school that you can actually do some physical exercise. While some say that using technology at break can have multiple functions and ways to improve your learning, it can also be very damaging to yourself. Students should try and avoid using technology at break times and schools should have specific days where students are allowed on their digital devices.

I think that Schools should not use technology at break because when you use technology at break times and times that you should be taking a rest from work, you can damage your brain more than you think. When you use your brain or eyes for too long at a time, it can damage the way you perform in later lessons. “Downtime is to the brain what sleep is to the body,” said Dr. Rich of Harvard Medical School. “But kids are in a constant mode of stimulation.” This means break times are and should be for taking breaks, not for spending the time on a screen which you probably have been doing on the period before. By doing some sort of physical activity during break time, you are essentially improving your mental focus for the next class. Scientists have proven that performing physical exercise before classes stimulate specific parts of the brain, helping the child stay more focused during the class.

Scientists have proven that taking short breaks is mentally better for learning, so if you do not give you brain a break, what you are basically doing is working it too much. By not taking your eyes of the screen, you are also damaging your eyes by not letting them have a break. Computer eye problems are common. “Somewhere between 50% and 90% of people who work at a computer screen have at least some symptoms of eye trouble.” This shows that even if we are not straining our eyes, even just by working at a computer in school, Computers and technology damage our eyes anyway, so why make it worse? Yes I understand, that using technology at break times and be a way to finish up homework, and yes I know that some people will use them for video games which can be good, which is why I am proposing the following; Schools should assign a specific day, either once a week, once every two weeks, or once a month, depending on how much the school uses technology in their curriculum.

As an add on to all of this, by not using technology at break times, you can socialise with people, and if you want evidence on this, “Socialising during lunch is a desirable activity and should be included in the time allotted. Socialising allows time for students to relate to others, provides a break in routine and allows students to return to afternoon classes refreshed.” Says Dr. Conklin. Another reason here why not using technology at break times helps you academically. Socialising is a natural habit, and right now what we are doing using technology as an excuse to keep to yourself.

All in all, while using technology at break can be a way to do things you couldn’t at home, it is harmful to you and by not using technology, you can, and will be overall a better student in class, save your eyes and use break times for break.