Cultural Diversity Within Native Youth Olympics

Native Americans symbols and culture exemplify the things that we admire in our athletes strength, endurance and courage. However ,the way that we use these symbols can be offensive and hurtful to the very people that we want to honor. In this paper , I will discussed how teams are mocking and being disrespectful to the Native American culture.

“Final call girl’s four by eight-hundred-meter relay” called the official. The Ontario Track girl’s four by eight-meter team trooped up to lane one, in unison. I would not have wanted to be racing with anyone else but my relay family. We had trained all season for this one race. Every workout, asthma attack, tear, and shin splint has lead up to this one race to break a twenty year old school record. As we jogged with the official from the bullpen to the starting line, the crowd had uproars of excitement for the athletes. An immense smile grew across my face, not only from the ecstatic crowd, but from the anticipation to race. I approached the starting line, in the first lane, while my teammates arrayed along the fence with the other second,

Team sports for example not only provide physical activity for children. They also introduce them to the meaning of “teamwork” and ability

Sport is incredible in how it can increase confidence, self-esteem, and overall health while teaching children a new ability of working with others as a team, taking direction, and doing things they never thought possible. I want to be able to show what sports is capable of teaching and the rewards that come along with it. The concept of team reveals what is achievable through solidarity that would be impossible in solitary.

Some schools with strong sporting traditions reinforce participation in sport. The sports that students are encouraged to participate in can depend on the school’s history and traditions, the facilities and equipment available, and the expertise of the teachers.

One thing almost every young child looks forward to is the activity of play. Kids love nothing more than to go outside, run around with friends, and get dirty. If children are already active at a young age, why not encourage them to continue by enrolling them in an organized youth sport program? Young people will gain many positive experiences by participating in organized physical activities, but none as important and influential as the social skills, physical skills, and mental skills developed and nurtured during their time in youth sport. As a result, the young participants can continue to build upon and cultivate these skills which will ultimately be transferred into their development as successful adults. Along with the social and

Native Americans are known for many different qualities they had as a part of their lifestyle. The games and sports they created to play that are now used in today’s society, lacrosse being the most famous. Some of the games played in the early times are either drastically changed or no longer played. When it came to having leisure time and spending it exercising the Native Americans were the masters. The games were more than just fun and leisure. The games meant something to the Native Americans. They built their body and embraced their spiritual side. Many of the games are rooting in things that reinforced group cooperation and sharpened their survival in new environments. For the men who went into combat their games were geared more towards readiness for combat and fighting skills (sourceA). Today these games have shifted because of the current day sedentary lifestyle is to reawaken exercise into the youth. Promoting games and sports that keep kids active and out of trouble is an important part of the well being of the youth of our country.

However, when we talk about youth sports, our main concern is with providing players with a positive, character building experience. Winning is not the only acceptable outcome for youth players, and coaches need to understand this principle. “With a winning philosophy young athletes may lose out on opportunities to develop their skills, to enjoy participation, and to grow socially and emotionally. Well informed coaches realize that success is not equivalent to winning games, and failure is not the same as losing.” (Enhancing Coach-Parent Relationships in Youth Sports, 15)

Abstract: The Special Olympics not only give special athletes athletic skills, they offer more opportunity, encouragement, and dexterity to survive in society than the public school system alone. To understand the differences and similarities between handicapped athletes and their non-handicap peers is the first step in creating a program that best meets the child's needs. There were no community programs that catered to the mentally and physically challenged, so Eunice Kennedy-Shriver created "special games" in her back yard for her handicapped child. Shriver established the Special Olympics in 1968. Today there are more than one million special athletes competing in 140 countries. There are some problems with relying on the

From my earliest memories school sports have been a part of my life. When I was in elementary school I watched my older siblings play basketball, football, baseball, and even male cheerleading. I couldn’t wait for my chance to play on a team, and make a difference. I have been very fortunate to be a part of many great teams at Mandan. I have grown and developed not only as an athlete, but also a person through the athletic programs. Sports have taught me to be accountable, to show up on time, to work hard, to practice, and to push myself to the best of my abilities. They have made me mentally and physically stronger than I ever thought possible and taught me to help push other members to be the best they can possibly be.

From my first T-Ball team to my senior year track club, the comradery and confidence I have gained from competing on numerous sports teams has made an enormous impact on my life. Growing up, I went to a very small Catholic school. With less than 100 students in the entire school district. In third grade, our family moved to Manteno. Where each grade level had at least 120 students. Baseball and Basketball were crucial for me in my early years. It was how I became acquainted with most of my friends growing up in Manteno. If it wasn’t for competing on a team, I would have stayed timid for the rest of my life. With the confidence sports have gave me, I have been able to challenge myself to experience the world and all

Having grown up in the Tahoe Truckee area, my participation in athletics, and a multitude of other team based activities, have consumed a vast majority of my teenage life, and have aided in my finding a variety of things I am passionate about. These activities have taught me many important life skills that I am able to contribute to both the Team community and community as a whole. These competencies include a strong sense of leadership, accountability, a clear sense of self, and effective communication, all of which I utilize in my day to day life. These skills also provide me with the ability to set effective goals and accomplish them.

When did all of this start in America? According to Hilary Friedman of The Atlantic, it started about one hundred years ago in the streets of the big cities. Most of the first participants were poor or immigrant children that were not in school and were simply filling time by starting games and keeping themselves occupied. Those of a more fortunate means were typically engaged in music, dance, or other non-competitive activities. Friedman continues to explain that there began to be a concern for these youth and that they needed good examples to teach them “American” values of cooperation, hard work, and respect for authority. So, in 1903 New York City’s Public School Athletic League for

This tradition has gone on since camp was founded in 1951. Some examples of these competitions are; a horseshow, basketball game, soccer game, the giant relay and 4th of July relay races. Each time a clan wins one of the events they get points. At the end of camp, the winner is announced when the camp director unrolls a banner with the colors of the clan who won.

Since the creation of man, sports have had a tremendous role in the way people live their lives. From the time we are born, until our elderly age, most of us are involved in some way with sports. Whether it is a scrimmage game of soccer at recess in elementary school, playing on the varsity athletic team or simply watching the Olympics or sporting events on television, sports have an influential role in our everyday lives. The outstanding popularity of the sports industry has profoundly affected youth sports organizations that an estimated twenty-six million children ages six through eighteen participate in at least one school or community based athletic program (Smith & Smoll, 1997). Well structured sport programs can provide youths with