March 21, 2026 • 37 mins
Most kids will take part in some kind of sport throughout their childhood.
It's a great opportunity to keep them moving and allow them to burn off some energy, but how early should we be getting our children into these teams?
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Speaker 1 (00:05):
You're listening to the Weekend Collective podcast from News Talks EDBA.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
Yes, welcome back to the Weekend Collective or welcome And
should I say this is the Parents Squad. I'm Tim Beverage,
by the way, if you have just joined us, and
this is where we take your calls on eight hundred
and ten eighty or text nine two for the Parents Squad.
And what we're going to talk about today is well
sport for kids. And look, of course most kids hopefully
(00:56):
will take part, you know, take part in some kind
of sport throughout their childhood and early in their childhood. Look,
I mean for obvious reasons. I would have thought, you know,
that sport's a great way to build relationships as well
and healthy lifestyle and activity and fun fun. That's something
that's probably worth reminding ourselves as parents sometimes, isn't it.
(01:16):
But it's an important part of their development, a great
opportunity to keep them moving, get them to burn off
some energy. But how how early should we get our
children involved in I guess we're thinking organized sport and
into teams. So we want your calls on this. When
did you get your kids involved in sports? And why?
(01:36):
And you know or when did you get involved yourself
as a child in your early memories? For me, my
early memories were playing for what a great team name
it was for rugby it was the Khakura Wetters, and
we like to think we were calling the Kahakua Kiwi's
just because you know, wetties. Wetters were rarely you know, ugly,
sort of sort of awkward insect compared to a kiwi,
(01:58):
which is all anyway, But isn't it funny? IU still
remember the first rivalry in rugby for me? But should
Here's the thing? When should sport be competitive? When does
winning matter? When does and when doesn't it matter? And
also the questions around teams versus individual sport, you know,
pressure versus fun, Lots of questions. We want your thoughts
(02:19):
on this on eight hundred eighty ten eighty and text
ninety two nine two and if you want to have
a simple question to focus on, because I know that
I don't want to trigger you, because I know that
some people would say, look, sport, of course is about competing.
Therefore it's about winning as well. There are winners and losers,
and the sooner your kids can learn that, the better.
I'm not sure I quite agree with that. But anyway,
(02:39):
we've got someone to talk about this who knows more
about it. I would assume, well, it's regularly engaged in
this issue. He is the sport development manager at sport
end Zed. His name is Alex Chit and he is
with us now for the parents quite Alex goday.
Speaker 3 (02:56):
He got it, Tim, thanks for having me on.
Speaker 2 (02:58):
Hey, do I get your surname pronunciation right? Pronunciation pretty close.
It's not French as where it's like Alex.
Speaker 3 (03:05):
Chi it's key pronounce like okay, like Christmas.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
I'm sorry, I should have I should have done a
cross check. Hey, tell us about your involvement in sports
and you know your position a sport development manager at
sport end Z.
Speaker 3 (03:18):
Oh, look really simple. We're just trying to keep kids
involved in sport, help them feel the joy so that
they can form great habits, lifelong habits that help them
sort of be good, good humans and good people and
those that have a bit of future potential and show
some promise early that they can move into the right
sort of pathways at the right time and hopefully fulfill
(03:40):
that opportunity later on. So it's just really trying to
keep kids in sport because there's so much good stuff
that comes from it.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
What's your connection with kids? Do you do it via
schools clubs? I mean, I'm sure you know, just learning
a bit about what the work you do is what's
your interface with kids? God, that sounds.
Speaker 3 (03:57):
Sorry, no, no, no, You're all good. So you know,
we're we're very fortunate to get resources from from the
government and from lotteries and we put or that poutier
those resources back into the sports system. So we work
with sports in basketball New Zealand, football, New Zealand, netball
New Zealand. We work with schools, college sport organizations, secondary
school sport organizations, and we work with some organizations closer
(04:19):
to the ground, regional sports trusts, just to help make
sure they're doing everything they can to give kids the
best possible experience they can in sport.
Speaker 2 (04:27):
What do we know about how important a role sport
plays in the development of children.
Speaker 3 (04:33):
Look, you touched on a lot of it term and
your lead in You know, I heard that word fun
and I think one of the best things about sport.
Often sometimes it gets masked, but there's so much good
stuff a good sporting experience can do. You hear the
words hold or you hear the words well being. Well,
it's much more than the x's and o's, the wins
and losses. So you know, sport brings many communities together,
(04:55):
different cultures, different races and all these sorts of things
are just great for society. But the sporting experience itself
to touch on a few things. You know, there's a
sense of belonging that can be the from a great
sporting experience. You're part of a team, you're working together
with others for a common goal. You're making new mates
and friends. Sometimes those bonds last last for life of
(05:16):
people with similar interests, and it's just good human behavior
that is getting reinforced and values.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
Yeah, actually, yes, just on that. It was a time
when I think that was I mean, I'm not going
to bang on about rugby, but there was a time
in New Zealand where one of the things about rugby
in New Zealand, and maybe it's moved to other sports
as well, it was the great It wasn't a class
game in England. You know, you were your rugby player
(05:43):
if you went to the private schools or should I
say the public schools are ironically as they called whereas
in New Zealand. It seemed to be the one, one
of the one of the real egalitarian experiences that kids
from the most disadvantaged backgrounds would be playing with and
against kids from more privileged backgrounds. And I would have
thought that actually is a really important part because you
(06:04):
stick on the uniform. I mean that ties into the
whole question around teams too, doesn't it.
Speaker 3 (06:09):
Yeah, very much so. And I think that's the I
don't know, there's probably not too many things in life
that people put aside some of their beliefs, their values
and other things and just come together for a really
good cause. Thinking sport, thinking music. Can think of a
few others, but yeah, definitely. And I know, well, I
can't speak for New Zealand Rugby, but they do a
lot of work. They know the different communities that are
(06:30):
attracted to their game, and I think the fact that
it's a game that everyone can play no matter what
shape or size you are, these sorts of things are
just wonderful and all the great benefits that come with that.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
Yeah, what are they? Okay? By the way, if you're
listening and you're holding because we've got a couple of callers,
we've got some calls rolling and already will be with
you shortly, but I just want to dig into a
little bit more with Alex. What are the challenges do
we have? Is there are there problems that we are
(07:00):
trying to address with getting more children involved in sport?
Is it you is it natural thing that all kids
are getting involved in sport or are you actually dealing
with some challenges in terms of look, you know we're
seeing participation in numbers. Is it's a challenge to to
get kids involved early?
Speaker 3 (07:17):
Generally? Obviously through the COVID period we had some challenges
whereized sport sort of dropped down, but we're starting to
see sport really bounce back some really encouraging signs in
the last few years across a lot of sports. And
again I'll speak in generalizations, but I don't think the
problem is getting kids into sport. Kids come and play sport.
(07:37):
It's sort of part of our culture and our tradition.
We're taking a lot of keeping kids the sport. It's
keeping them involved in sport. So at some point in time,
sometimes the experience isn't as good as it could be,
and that's when kids start to change sports or hopefully
not move move away from sports. So I think the
real opportunity we get into great progress is actually keeping
them more involved for as long as they can, so
(07:59):
that they can get a lot of that good stuff
that we spoke about before, to the bonds, the development,
the growth, developing skills, how it helps confidence, you know,
giving back, character, development, resilience for it, all those sorts
of things we know sport is great for and in
a way mirror's life. And I think that's why a
lot of parents do take their kids to sport, and
(08:20):
it helps develop a lot of those strategies that you're
going to need later on in life.
Speaker 2 (08:23):
So coping with disappointment actually is one of them. Funny
that came instantly. But I mean, actually that is one
of those you know that when when does the Oh god,
I've got so many questions, and we'll go to the
callers shortly, and Alex and I will continue to have
our conversation between the callers. But tell me, give me
the bad news. What is the thing that turns kids
(08:45):
off sport? Because I'm thinking probably parents being a bit
too full on could piece something.
Speaker 3 (08:51):
Oh, look at the kids. Tell us We ask kids
this a lot in the sports and different people ask them,
you know, what turns them off, and it's really when
it stops being fun. So that's one of the biggest
reasons where they stop enjoying themselves or well, when there's
not the challenge, isn't there. Again, every kid's different and
they'll be looking for different things in their sport experience.
So you know, for parents out there, it's really important
(09:13):
to understand why your child's playing sport, what they want
from the experience, and then making sure you match that
both in terms of what you role model and how
you support them. So you know, it really depends a
lot of it's when it stops being fun for the kids.
As one of the biggest sort of messages we get
from the kids.
Speaker 2 (09:30):
How does it does where's the sort of I'm not
going to say the science, but how do we ascertain
what's best in terms of individual versus team sports? Because
some kids naturally are drawn to, you know, more individual pursuits,
But is it important for kids to also at some
stage be involved with teams or what's the latest on that.
Speaker 3 (09:53):
Yeah, Look, I think all sport experience is a good
experience if the environment's right and safe and there's good
role models around that are supporting and nurturing the kids.
And I think individual sports will have different benefits than
team sports. So you'll hear and again your rowings, your cyclings,
your swimmings, a lot of dedication, commitment, a lot of
(10:17):
good self management. Kids getting really good at managing time.
We're in a lot of the team sports and some
individual sports have an element of team in them as well,
which is really cool, and trying to do that more
from a social perspective to keep some of to keep
kids involved in some of the more individual sports. But
the team sports are full of sort of teamwork, full
of understanding when things don't go well, how do I
(10:39):
get up? How my good teammates, how do I support others?
How do I deal with some of those setbacks myself?
So if I've missed the important shot, then then what
do I do? How do I respond? Do I wait
till next week? Do I pick myself up?
Speaker 4 (10:52):
Fight?
Speaker 3 (10:52):
I don't just sort of walk off the field. And
all of those sorts of environments are just wonderful learning
spaces for kids and coaches and parents.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
Actually it's a learning learning space for all of those,
isn't it, including the parents. Sometimes you have to find
out how they can cope with disappointment. I would like
you take your calls on this on In fact, I
threw out a broad brush question on wind is winning matter?
And that? I mean, that's an interesting one because as
we're talking just now, you know, kids have to learn
(11:24):
to cup with disappointment, and disappointment can be maybe not
making the team or maybe you've been beaten a few times,
and how do you cope with that and turn it
around because it's still got to be fun. I wait,
one hundred eighty ten eighty, let's take some calls and Natalie.
Speaker 5 (11:37):
Hello, Hi, Keim, Hi, how's your day?
Speaker 2 (11:41):
Excellent? Thank you? How's yours?
Speaker 5 (11:44):
Yeah? Yeah, I'm just thinking that children or young kids
sports should start at primary school, don't you think? I
mean I did. I started across country running at primary
primary school.
Speaker 2 (11:57):
Absolutely, I'm all for that. I mean, how were is?
I mean? I guess maybe we need to draw a
line between what's difference between just playing games and playing sport?
Actually might bring an alex on that we've just lost
Natalie there, what's the difference between just playing games that
kids do? You know, pre school and you know, all
(12:18):
sorts of things to sport. What are we talking about?
Speaker 3 (12:21):
Look, I think you want kids just to play, and
that's a whole you know, playground, school, unstructured stuff. Self
driven play is great. I think the early forms of
sport pretty much are play based structures in formal sports.
So as I think Natalie said, you know, you start
to see parents taking their kids around five or six
(12:41):
years of age to sport, and what's really happening there.
It's just facilitated play really, and it's a ball or
it's it's a racket, and they're just learning fundamentals and
having fun. So really it is just play in a
sport based environment. Early on, when we start to see
kids taking the organizers providing sport at three years of age,
(13:03):
when kids still aren't nappy trained and those things, I
probably start to ask questions, you're better sort of just
running around with your kids in the background in the
backyard and going and walks and just being more active.
But generally you start to see kids come into organized
sport from sort of five years up.
Speaker 2 (13:18):
Because I can't remember where I saw this, but but
I'm not sure if it was at a school my
girls went to, or the memories a bit vague, but
there was a policy at particular school that a child
actually had to have a medical note not to participate
in some sort of sport, and that sounds like quite
a sort of heavy type of thing, but the school's
(13:41):
attitude to sport wasn't apart from that, wasn't as strict
as that sounds. It's just that they were like, look,
unless there's a really good reason, we expect your child
to participate in something at the school. What do you
think about that sort.
Speaker 3 (13:56):
Of Yeah, Look, I think the whole medical note and
kids getting friends to write their medical notes to get
out of being lessons, it is something you probably used
to hear about a lot in the past. I think
a lot of the sporting experiences at school, and obviously
there's sport and there's pe two quite different things. But
(14:19):
I think from a learning school environment, they've got a
lot better at actually understanding the bigger picture around movement
and how important it is, so that it's not just
sport that's happening in school setting, that it's more connected
with friends and people and fun. So all of those
sorts of things are far more prominent now in school settings,
(14:40):
which is helping people get a better experience which is
going to help them rather than find excuses not to
do something. So a lot of that comes to the
learning and the teaching environment, which has improved downside.
Speaker 2 (14:50):
Actually, it is about setting that right environment, isn't it.
At the school my wife teaches that, and where my
kids went that they used to it. They have an
in your cross country and I think there was an
encouragement at least that everyone participates, no matter whether you're
fast or slow. And it's one of my There'll be
parents who have witnessed this as well. It's probably the
(15:12):
one of the It was quite an emotional thing to
watch because everyone was the school had a culture where
everyone got involved, including the children who had mobility issues,
and so the older children would be bringing out the
rear and they'd have the younger kids who or the
(15:32):
ones who struggled with movement would be supported all the
way to the end. And I almost get emotional talking
about it now because it was it was such an
amazing cultural thing to watch in that community. The support
that the that the older kids gave the younger ones,
it was incredibly moving. But that did come from a
place of like we really expect everyone to take part,
(15:52):
but it was done with the right support, and I
tell you what, there weren't many dry eyes on the
finish line.
Speaker 3 (16:00):
It's great to hear those experiences and schools have come
along way, like they dub seeing, you know, the cross
country probably of our day, where you are sometimes finding
an excuse not to do it if you're not a runner.
Now to actually a celebration of sort of physical activity
and we want everyone to take part. My daughter just
had her recent cross country. They are encouraged to come
(16:20):
and dress up, wear skirts, do face paint, everyone get involved.
You know, it's it's much more than just the running.
It's everyone taking part and you're seeing some great sort
of activities of which physical activity is part of. But
back to the start, you know, it's that wider value
of sport. It's you know, revealing character and it's getting
you know, getting people to help help each other celebrate successes.
(16:41):
I had in the football team that I used to coach.
I had a neurodiverse or a nonverbal child. As parents
connected with me early on in the year to let
me know that he wouldn't probably be responding, he wouldn't
be talking. He only does it at home and at school.
In in other settings he doesn't, so in a similar
way to you. The emotions that I sort of felt
(17:01):
at the end of that football year when he up
to me and said thanks coach, you know where he
hadn't said a word for five months. It's pretty significant stuff.
And these are the big wins in sport. This is
the real value of sport, over and above the x's
and o's, which is why we want to keep people
involved for so long.
Speaker 2 (17:21):
Got some emotional stuff, doesn't it. As I was telling
the story about the cross country, almost got a bit
choked up there. But that's the stuff that's goal, isn't it.
Speaker 3 (17:30):
It really is, And it you know back to you
know that they're trying to reveal character and help people
see that there's much more to the sport experience than
just the winning and losing. And I think that's where
parents can get a bit distracted. Sometimes you really got
to step back and get perspective and see the bigger
picture here.
Speaker 2 (17:47):
It's quite funny. I remember standing on the sideline and
I was getting a bit emotionalized, and I was thinking,
oh God, Tim, you're such a softy, And I was
shielding my face from one of the other mums and
then I turned to her and she running down her face.
I was like, oh thank god. Anyway, hey, we'd love
your thoughts on the involvement and how important it should
be for kids. But also, I mean what Alex kit
(18:10):
and I have been talking about. He's from sport and
he's the sport development manager at sport end Zed. It's
the balance between participation and also competitiveness and winning and
how do you find that balance? I mean to be honest,
I'll be I think most parents work it out hopefully
early on that when you turn up to support your
kids at the soccer, the fact that they've kicked the
ball and that went in some direction, that's the win,
(18:31):
as to whether you know one side scored more goals
than the other. But we love your thoughts on that.
On eight hundred and eighty ten to eighty. Benson is next, Benson.
I'll ask you to ask you to stick around to
laugh the break. It's twenty five past five News talk
z b This is the Parents Squad. We're with Alex Kit,
he's a sport development manager at sport end Z, talking
about the importance of children being involved in sport and
(18:51):
all the questions around that the broad question I've thrown
out there for just a bit of a chat of
with because we'd love you to join us and tell
us about your first memories of sport as a child
and what got you into it, but also if you
lost interest, what lost you interest in that? Yeah, we've
got a few texts on that. But Benson, hello, Yes,
how are you good? Thanks?
Speaker 6 (19:13):
Yes, I just want to give a contribution on h
on this subject, but I would do Dowell much on
the advantages that I've seen with my kids since removed
there from overseas to New Zealand here. The first thing
is discipline and time management.
Speaker 2 (19:35):
Yeahs as a good thing. Yeah.
Speaker 7 (19:39):
Yes.
Speaker 6 (19:39):
The other thing is that there are some of the
recreational drugs which are the kids or maybe both of
my kid's edge or my children's age, they are taking,
like energy drinks. Yes, my kids have stayed away from
that because of sports, and the one of the readily
(20:00):
available drugs is sugar as well. They've cut on sugar
because the these sports are academies or the clubs they
see don't take.
Speaker 2 (20:10):
I mean, so they've learned some good things about nutrition
and what's good and bad for you. Yes, how old
are your children Benson?
Speaker 6 (20:18):
The other one is sixteen, the other one is eleven?
Speaker 2 (20:22):
And how serious are they about their sport?
Speaker 6 (20:25):
A very very very serious. And the club you've got
a link or or some of the academies in Europe
at some point in time they would be going there.
Speaker 2 (20:38):
I think, you really what sport are we talking?
Speaker 6 (20:41):
The soka?
Speaker 2 (20:43):
Oh exciting? Are you? Are you? Are you well disciplined
on the sideline? Benson?
Speaker 6 (20:49):
Yeah, I'd try to help them as much as a kim. Yeah?
Speaker 2 (20:56):
Does do you are you conscious of you know, being
the good parents? Do you do you find that something?
Because you know, parents, you ride the highs and lows
with your kids? How do you manage your emotions?
Speaker 6 (21:09):
Sometimes they would want to stretch my eyes. I'm also
doing some of the studies as also during the weekends,
the undergone the books and they say, no, Dad, they
have to take us as possible. Day try to balance that,
but it t trickies my time as well.
Speaker 2 (21:25):
All right, yeah, yeah, oh well, good on you. Thanks
for that. Actually that's Alex just bringing on that. I
forgot about the whole energy drink thing that in fact,
I would have wondered if kids who do a lot
of sport, think that they need those energy drinks and stuff.
The role of nutrition with children in sport.
Speaker 3 (21:45):
Yeah, yeah, look at especially as you get into representative
teams or talent programs at the right ages, kids will
get a lot more education about that side of things. Again,
another really great side to sport. It's not just the
sport itself, it's the education around it. Food, nutrition, the
right sorts of things to fuel the machine, the importance
of the importance of recovery. All these sorts of things
(22:08):
are just great for humans, let alone kids playing sport.
But yeah, I Benson did have me worried there for
a little bit, tim, but we managed to get the
right information to understand.
Speaker 8 (22:18):
When he said drugs talking about One of the quotes
I always remember, and while that didn't come up, was
Judge Beecroft, the ex Children's Commissioner, where he said a
kid in sport as a kid out of court.
Speaker 3 (22:30):
And that's sort of another one of those messages where
sports are really positive influence on teenagers at that stage
in their life and can shape some really good behaviors
at times at a challenging time and people's lives where
there's so much going on.
Speaker 2 (22:44):
Yeah, what about how important is it for teams to
try and get your children involved in teen sports? Because
my intuitive thing, and it would be a reflection of
my upbringing, was I'm pretty sure. I mean, look, I
just gravitated to playing rugby for the Cohakura Weetas and
loved every moment, you know, bare feet on frosty grounds
and all that sort of stuff. But I so I
(23:07):
naturally just gravitated to a team environment. How important is
it to be because I would have thought that that
is actually quite important to some way be connected with,
you know, not just your own personal ambitions, but you know,
what you do has an impact on your teammates and
tell us about what's what the attitude of you know
what we know about that from sport and news.
Speaker 3 (23:29):
You know, I think a lot of the environment at
home and what parents have done will shape where kids go,
whether it's individual sport, team sport, or what those sports are.
But from a perspective, and we have a big focus
on on you know, you sport at the moment because
that's where we do see the drop offs sort of
in kid sports as life gets busy and things change.
(23:50):
So that's where sport's working really hard to make sure
that it stays fun and there's different pathways and different opportunities,
but a lot of it is team sport. So team
sport is where we see a lot of value where
sports are offer changing their offerings. Instead of it being
for IV five basketball, it's three B three. Instead of
it kids having to train three times a week and
play once, it's just turn up and have a go
(24:11):
with your friends. So sport's doing a really good job
of changing those offerings so kids can still get all
the wonderful team benefits, but in a way that works
for them, that sort of aligns with what their motivations are.
Speaker 2 (24:22):
At what point do you sort of let the children
make their own decisions around sport because you know, obviously
when they're little easy, you sort of enroll them in
a team and you know you've encouraged them. Hopefully they
you don't have any resistance, but there does become that resistance.
I mean, do parents have a role in trying to
push their kids through that without being you know, that parent.
Speaker 3 (24:45):
I think it's you know, the role of a parent
changes as the as the kid grows, so early on
it's more about that support and love being connected with
their why as I said, you want all kids sort
of exposed to a little bit of tolerable stress and challenge.
You know that you just don't want the chwoing gun
to stry rich so much that it breaks, So they
(25:07):
want to be able to manage it, and that's going
to build a lot of that resilience and all of
that good stuff that you want. But in those younger years,
a lot of it's just having fun. As I said before,
it's sort of playbaits based stuff where parents are sort
of taking them to training and playing and supporting them
and full of love. And then it starts to shift
(25:27):
from there. You'll start to see depending on what your
kid wants, whether they want to take more competitive pursuits
where they're more driven and they want to train and
they want to develop and they want to grow more,
or whether they just want to keep playing sport with
their mates and doing it socially. So those motivations will
change at different stages and at different ages. So it's
just as a parent, it's really important to stay connected
(25:49):
with how your kids going. Constant communication, listening, making sure
you're not trying to get them to live vicos, you're
not living vicariously through them. You're making sure you're matching
the sport experience with what they want.
Speaker 2 (26:01):
Actually that's why. I mean, I'm just reflecting on my
daughter is involved in a couple of sports. One of
my daughters is involved in very busy in sports. But
one of the coaches that she's been exposed to this
year is just one of those coaches. So I think
she's very lucky. He's an enthusiast, you know, he loves
what he's doing. The kids love him, and I think,
(26:22):
you know, that's why the role of coaches as well.
I mean, it's bleeding obvious, isn't it.
Speaker 3 (26:28):
Yeah, you know, and I think the sport landscape here
in New Zealand is dependent on coaches and a lot
of them are volunteer coaches as well, and great people
giving up their time. But you definitely know it sounds
like you were really fortunate there with your daughter where
a coach has got the bigger picture and they're using
sport as a vehicle to teach life skills and they're
(26:50):
reinforcing effort. Just we you know, the team we coach
my daughter's sort of football team, because to shift people
away and parents away from the wins and the losses.
You have to give them different metrics and different things
to focus on. So coming up with team ID to
see coming up with teen values at the start of
the season, and using the players, the guys and the
girls to do it, so that you know things like
(27:12):
always working together, trying your best, emptying the tank, always
being positive, kind to each other, being courageous as well,
and taking risks and trying things. When you start to
reinforce those things all the time, it takes kids away
from the x's and no's and you're actually shaping the
behaviors that you really want to shape and can help
kids with.
Speaker 2 (27:31):
How How old are you? Did you mention you've got
a daughter? What sort of age group?
Speaker 3 (27:35):
So yeah, look, yeah, I've lived the journey. I'm still
in the journey. So my oldest son Caleb, he's seventeen,
my daughter Billy, she's fifteen, and my younger Stellane's twelve.
Speaker 2 (27:44):
So you're right in the window in the pocket, there
aren't you, that's for sure. Okay, Hey, let's take some
more calls. Stand by Rex, Hello.
Speaker 7 (27:55):
Hey, good are you? I like to proudly share a
story from Topoul, which, by the way, today the Laker
is like glass and if you cannot be if you
could be here, you'd be in the best place and land,
unless there's somewhere else.
Speaker 2 (28:06):
More than right now beautiful clear sky.
Speaker 7 (28:10):
Oh absolutely magnificent. No snow in the mountains, of course,
but it's still early. So I want to share with you.
I was coach my daughter at eight years old in
soccer football. When they start to do structure, you know,
they start to play seriously, and so in Tope, it's
a small town, and I said, I'll coach my daughter's team.
But what they normally do is they split spread the
girls through the boys teams. And I said, no, no,
(28:30):
I won't do that. I said, I want to all
the girls. I said, because you get five guys and
the team boys and three girls, and the girls don't
learn it if they don't get the ball at the
boys dominate because they're very physically different at that age,
right especially, you know, and just by chance people don't
know this. The girls for the first they can stay
in the same grade for two years to catch up
physically to the boys, and I think it's very important
at eight years old they should stay for two years.
(28:51):
So anyway, short story was, I'll never forget. I'm very
proud to say, I hope you like this. So at
the first training session when all the parents came to
meet me and the girls were there, and I said
to them and the parents that look on their face.
I said, I'm not here to teach you how to
play soccer. That's not my job. And everyone like, you know,
the parents are like, oh my god, we don't like
this coach have teacher? Yeah, I said, I'm here to
(29:14):
teach you how to love soccer. That's my job. It's
your first year. You were going to love this game,
and I tell you how to love this game. And
the parents I saw their faces just being like wow.
And I'm very proud of that message I gave them.
And we had the most magnificent season, and I have
to tell you the funny faces of the story. My
daughter would be driving home from the game and she'd say,
(29:36):
we got a point today, Dad, didn't we We lost
like ten to one. We lost every week. And I said, yeah,
we did, we got a point that she said, did
you see that? Girls? Did you see us tackle today?
And the last game of the season, the girls finally
beat the boys, and that's as good as a story yes,
and they learned to love the damn game. And that's
the most important message I can do to anybody out there.
Speaker 2 (29:57):
Actually, Rex, you've also touched on something I meant to
mention to Alex, is that what what age was? Sorry?
What age?
Speaker 7 (30:03):
Eight years old? Eight years old?
Speaker 2 (30:05):
Because I reckon when I watched my daughter when she
first started sports, she was playing soccer, that the kids
they sort of if they were curious about the score,
they were curious, but they didn't really care so long
as it seemed to me that if they scored a goal,
even if as you say, it was ten to one against,
that was the moment which was worth it all for them.
(30:25):
They don't care about the long term thing early on.
They care about just the moment and if they have
a good moment, that's it for them in.
Speaker 7 (30:34):
A nutshell, like you said, And like seriously, when they
tackled a boy hard, honestly, all the girls would be like,
you know, like that's that that was always the greater
moment of scoring a point, like seeing some guy get
you know, some young boys and he tackled hard by
the girls, so it was fantastic. But keep the girls
as a team, you know, and that message like I say,
you know, I say it to love the game.
Speaker 2 (30:51):
Good stuff, Rex, thanks for your care mate.
Speaker 7 (30:53):
Thanks guys.
Speaker 2 (30:54):
Actually, that is an interesting challenge, is the gender split,
because for instance, you know, there is a point where
the boys and girls do play again, and that's a challenge,
isn't it, Alex, Because if that if they get that wrong.
You know, the boys are physically you know, once puberty
starts to kick in. One of my daughters plays hockey,
(31:16):
and there was mixed teams last year. But you do
sort of go, oh, we're getting into territory where we
can the girls can end up having a negative experience.
That's a tricky one for sport to manage, isn't it.
Speaker 3 (31:29):
Yeah? And firstly, before I go there, to just head
off to Rex, like there's so many great humans that
get the bigger picture. Are giving kids the joy. You know,
they're getting bitten by the bug and falling in love
with sport because success is actually coming back next season
and I'm sure that a lot of those girls and
Rex's team did, which is awesome. But yeah, when it
comes to the gender sort of options, what's really cool
(31:52):
in the last probably ten years is that a lot
of sports there has been a lot of investment, raised profile,
more awareness around the important and equality around female sport.
And what you're starting to see are female offerings and
FEMI only pathways in a lot of our major sports,
which is awesome and it's really an interesting space. Or
(32:13):
when's the right time for a young player to play
let's say, girls only, And it really a lot of
that comes down to the individual. So what we tend
to see is some of the girls that are maybe
more socially inclined will start to drop off if the
younger and they're playing with boys, Whereas if you give
them an offering where it's girls only, they'll stay involved
and that's what they want. They'll have a better experience,
(32:33):
Whereas some of the more competitive and driven girls, you
might say, actually they're coping and undering really well with
the boys and if they're comfortable, they're stay there for
as long as it's safe. And different sports will have
different points where they sort of look at those sorts
of things, so again it will depend on the individual.
But there's lots of offerings now to meet the different.
Speaker 2 (32:53):
Needs of and it is a challenge actually we need
to take a break, but it is a bit of
a challenge, isn't it with just some of the sports,
because they also have to try and provide a competition,
and look, you know, puberty is an arbitrary thing. So
although there was nothing more satisfying than seeing something with
my daughter seeing the ball here take the ball off
another boy who just didn't see it coming. And I
(33:14):
remember thinking, yeah, there's one for the girls anyway, But
that's just because I'm one of those fathers and I
just have to keep it quiet to myself. Anyway, We'll
be back in just a moment. It's Angels Next. It's
seventeen did I say right? Yes? Seventeen minutes six news
talks he'd been with Tim Beverage with Alex Kid he
is sport development manager at Sport New Zealand, talking about
getting your kids involved in sport, all those questions around
(33:35):
it and Angel Hello, how are you hi?
Speaker 3 (33:38):
Hi?
Speaker 1 (33:38):
Good?
Speaker 4 (33:38):
Thanks?
Speaker 2 (33:39):
How'd you do good? Thanks?
Speaker 4 (33:41):
Great? Cool. I just wanted to add to the long
list of positive reasons why we have kids in sports.
We found that it gives kids, our kids more exposure
to other friend groups, so they don't just have their
little quickie.
Speaker 2 (33:56):
Oh yes, yes, yes, yes, things.
Speaker 4 (33:59):
Go down with that group of friends and these issues
is bullying or anything like that. They have a much
more they have more debts to their the people that
they're hanging out with and that they go to sleepovers
with and they have go to birthday parties with, which
is quite quite good.
Speaker 2 (34:14):
That that's a great point, actually, Angel, because I didn't
even I don't think we had friend groups and eyes
at school. But it's it is a thing these days, isn't.
Speaker 4 (34:21):
It a bit more claquy? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (34:23):
Yeah, what's what's what sports did you get your kids
involved in?
Speaker 4 (34:27):
Well, we've got one. The boy is not very sporty,
so we're still trying to encourage him to find his
son judo. Then we put him into teams for he
did cricket. Okay, he's going to try He's going to
try wrestling this year. He's a bit of a you know,
he's not he's not that keen on activity. He's a
bit of a nerd, which is fun. But we think
(34:49):
there's a lot of a lot of as we've said today,
just a lot of positive things to come out of sport.
He's fourteen, our girls eleven, and she's super sporty. So
when we wanted her to play netball. She we knew
she we should be really good. So we started watching
sport at home. Would want to take them to live
(35:10):
games to try and get them excited about what it is,
what sport can be. And she's, yeah, she's doing really well.
She started netball last year. She started in the lowest grade.
She'd never played before, and she just had so much
fun with the girls. And we get to meet the
other mums as well, and just I know that there
are some parents that maybe overextend themselves in there at
(35:33):
sports on Saturday morning, Sunday mornings. There's always some they
never have any three times, so we're also conscious as well.
Speaker 2 (35:41):
Now that's thank you, Angel, thanks for sharing that with us.
And actually that's a great point about the social side
of things, because you know, school can be a bit
plicky with friend groups and things, and isn't it Alex.
Speaker 3 (35:51):
Oh, yeah, I think that's great. With sport. It it
puts the kids into a different group. If you're not
playing with the school group, you're at a club. It
gives you a great opportunity to meet different kids and families,
which can quite especially teenage girls, I think can really
help at some of those sort of for years.
Speaker 2 (36:05):
What about kids who are not angel mentioned with her
sons not really and they've got them into a bit
into wrestling and judo. But what if your kids not
your child is not so inclined in sport. Is it
just you know, just keep trying or how do you
encourage those children of sport?
Speaker 3 (36:21):
Yeah? Look, I think parents are going to know their
kids best and they'll do what they can to sort
of lean them into it. But you know, one of
the best tricks that we have used where kids aren't
aren't as keen as is to bring them made along
do the sport that their friends are doing. So if
their mates are doing it, it's a really good way
to lean the kids into things. But again, parents know
their kids best. Then if they're not feeling comfortable, not
(36:43):
feeling safe, then and then maybe there's another form of
activity or another hobby or something that works for them.
Speaker 2 (36:48):
Great, Alex, you said that you've got one of the
best jobs in the country, sport Development manager at Sport
in New Zealand. We'll forget your back sometimes, shall we.
Speaker 3 (36:56):
I really enjoy what we do and I don't take
it for granted, that's for sure.
Speaker 2 (37:00):
Term good on you, Hey, thanks so much for your time.
I really appreciated Alex. All good, Okay, okay, b bye,
We'll be back in just a moment. That was Alex Kip,
sport development Manager. Up next, we're talking sport with Kobe Murrati.
This is News Talk SEDB, coming up to ten to six.
Speaker 1 (37:16):
For more from the weekend collective. Listen live to News
Talk SEDB weekends from three pm, or follow the podcast
on iHeartRadio.
You're listening to the Weekend Collective podcast from News Talks EDBA.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
Yes, welcome back to the Weekend Collective or welcome And
should I say this is the Parents Squad. I'm Tim Beverage,
by the way, if you have just joined us, and
this is where we take your calls on eight hundred
and ten eighty or text nine two for the Parents Squad.
And what we're going to talk about today is well
sport for kids. And look, of course most kids hopefully
(00:56):
will take part, you know, take part in some kind
of sport throughout their childhood and early in their childhood. Look,
I mean for obvious reasons. I would have thought, you know,
that sport's a great way to build relationships as well
and healthy lifestyle and activity and fun fun. That's something
that's probably worth reminding ourselves as parents sometimes, isn't it.
(01:16):
But it's an important part of their development, a great
opportunity to keep them moving, get them to burn off
some energy. But how how early should we get our
children involved in I guess we're thinking organized sport and
into teams. So we want your calls on this. When
did you get your kids involved in sports? And why?
(01:36):
And you know or when did you get involved yourself
as a child in your early memories? For me, my
early memories were playing for what a great team name
it was for rugby it was the Khakura Wetters, and
we like to think we were calling the Kahakua Kiwi's
just because you know, wetties. Wetters were rarely you know, ugly,
sort of sort of awkward insect compared to a kiwi,
(01:58):
which is all anyway, But isn't it funny? IU still
remember the first rivalry in rugby for me? But should
Here's the thing? When should sport be competitive? When does
winning matter? When does and when doesn't it matter? And
also the questions around teams versus individual sport, you know,
pressure versus fun, Lots of questions. We want your thoughts
(02:19):
on this on eight hundred eighty ten eighty and text
ninety two nine two and if you want to have
a simple question to focus on, because I know that
I don't want to trigger you, because I know that
some people would say, look, sport, of course is about competing.
Therefore it's about winning as well. There are winners and losers,
and the sooner your kids can learn that, the better.
I'm not sure I quite agree with that. But anyway,
(02:39):
we've got someone to talk about this who knows more
about it. I would assume, well, it's regularly engaged in
this issue. He is the sport development manager at sport
end Zed. His name is Alex Chit and he is
with us now for the parents quite Alex goday.
Speaker 3 (02:56):
He got it, Tim, thanks for having me on.
Speaker 2 (02:58):
Hey, do I get your surname pronunciation right? Pronunciation pretty close.
It's not French as where it's like Alex.
Speaker 3 (03:05):
Chi it's key pronounce like okay, like Christmas.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
I'm sorry, I should have I should have done a
cross check. Hey, tell us about your involvement in sports
and you know your position a sport development manager at
sport end Z.
Speaker 3 (03:18):
Oh, look really simple. We're just trying to keep kids
involved in sport, help them feel the joy so that
they can form great habits, lifelong habits that help them
sort of be good, good humans and good people and
those that have a bit of future potential and show
some promise early that they can move into the right
sort of pathways at the right time and hopefully fulfill
(03:40):
that opportunity later on. So it's just really trying to
keep kids in sport because there's so much good stuff
that comes from it.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
What's your connection with kids? Do you do it via
schools clubs? I mean, I'm sure you know, just learning
a bit about what the work you do is what's
your interface with kids? God, that sounds.
Speaker 3 (03:57):
Sorry, no, no, no, You're all good. So you know,
we're we're very fortunate to get resources from from the
government and from lotteries and we put or that poutier
those resources back into the sports system. So we work
with sports in basketball New Zealand, football, New Zealand, netball
New Zealand. We work with schools, college sport organizations, secondary
school sport organizations, and we work with some organizations closer
(04:19):
to the ground, regional sports trusts, just to help make
sure they're doing everything they can to give kids the
best possible experience they can in sport.
Speaker 2 (04:27):
What do we know about how important a role sport
plays in the development of children.
Speaker 3 (04:33):
Look, you touched on a lot of it term and
your lead in You know, I heard that word fun
and I think one of the best things about sport.
Often sometimes it gets masked, but there's so much good
stuff a good sporting experience can do. You hear the
words hold or you hear the words well being. Well,
it's much more than the x's and o's, the wins
and losses. So you know, sport brings many communities together,
(04:55):
different cultures, different races and all these sorts of things
are just great for society. But the sporting experience itself
to touch on a few things. You know, there's a
sense of belonging that can be the from a great
sporting experience. You're part of a team, you're working together
with others for a common goal. You're making new mates
and friends. Sometimes those bonds last last for life of
(05:16):
people with similar interests, and it's just good human behavior
that is getting reinforced and values.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
Yeah, actually, yes, just on that. It was a time
when I think that was I mean, I'm not going
to bang on about rugby, but there was a time
in New Zealand where one of the things about rugby
in New Zealand, and maybe it's moved to other sports
as well, it was the great It wasn't a class
game in England. You know, you were your rugby player
(05:43):
if you went to the private schools or should I
say the public schools are ironically as they called whereas
in New Zealand. It seemed to be the one, one
of the one of the real egalitarian experiences that kids
from the most disadvantaged backgrounds would be playing with and
against kids from more privileged backgrounds. And I would have
thought that actually is a really important part because you
(06:04):
stick on the uniform. I mean that ties into the
whole question around teams too, doesn't it.
Speaker 3 (06:09):
Yeah, very much so. And I think that's the I
don't know, there's probably not too many things in life
that people put aside some of their beliefs, their values
and other things and just come together for a really
good cause. Thinking sport, thinking music. Can think of a
few others, but yeah, definitely. And I know, well, I
can't speak for New Zealand Rugby, but they do a
lot of work. They know the different communities that are
(06:30):
attracted to their game, and I think the fact that
it's a game that everyone can play no matter what
shape or size you are, these sorts of things are
just wonderful and all the great benefits that come with that.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
Yeah, what are they? Okay? By the way, if you're
listening and you're holding because we've got a couple of callers,
we've got some calls rolling and already will be with
you shortly, but I just want to dig into a
little bit more with Alex. What are the challenges do
we have? Is there are there problems that we are
(07:00):
trying to address with getting more children involved in sport?
Is it you is it natural thing that all kids
are getting involved in sport or are you actually dealing
with some challenges in terms of look, you know we're
seeing participation in numbers. Is it's a challenge to to
get kids involved early?
Speaker 3 (07:17):
Generally? Obviously through the COVID period we had some challenges
whereized sport sort of dropped down, but we're starting to
see sport really bounce back some really encouraging signs in
the last few years across a lot of sports. And
again I'll speak in generalizations, but I don't think the
problem is getting kids into sport. Kids come and play sport.
(07:37):
It's sort of part of our culture and our tradition.
We're taking a lot of keeping kids the sport. It's
keeping them involved in sport. So at some point in time,
sometimes the experience isn't as good as it could be,
and that's when kids start to change sports or hopefully
not move move away from sports. So I think the
real opportunity we get into great progress is actually keeping
them more involved for as long as they can, so
(07:59):
that they can get a lot of that good stuff
that we spoke about before, to the bonds, the development,
the growth, developing skills, how it helps confidence, you know,
giving back, character, development, resilience for it, all those sorts
of things we know sport is great for and in
a way mirror's life. And I think that's why a
lot of parents do take their kids to sport, and
(08:20):
it helps develop a lot of those strategies that you're
going to need later on in life.
Speaker 2 (08:23):
So coping with disappointment actually is one of them. Funny
that came instantly. But I mean, actually that is one
of those you know that when when does the Oh god,
I've got so many questions, and we'll go to the
callers shortly, and Alex and I will continue to have
our conversation between the callers. But tell me, give me
the bad news. What is the thing that turns kids
(08:45):
off sport? Because I'm thinking probably parents being a bit
too full on could piece something.
Speaker 3 (08:51):
Oh, look at the kids. Tell us We ask kids
this a lot in the sports and different people ask them,
you know, what turns them off, and it's really when
it stops being fun. So that's one of the biggest
reasons where they stop enjoying themselves or well, when there's
not the challenge, isn't there. Again, every kid's different and
they'll be looking for different things in their sport experience.
So you know, for parents out there, it's really important
(09:13):
to understand why your child's playing sport, what they want
from the experience, and then making sure you match that
both in terms of what you role model and how
you support them. So you know, it really depends a
lot of it's when it stops being fun for the kids.
As one of the biggest sort of messages we get
from the kids.
Speaker 2 (09:30):
How does it does where's the sort of I'm not
going to say the science, but how do we ascertain
what's best in terms of individual versus team sports? Because
some kids naturally are drawn to, you know, more individual pursuits,
But is it important for kids to also at some
stage be involved with teams or what's the latest on that.
Speaker 3 (09:53):
Yeah, Look, I think all sport experience is a good
experience if the environment's right and safe and there's good
role models around that are supporting and nurturing the kids.
And I think individual sports will have different benefits than
team sports. So you'll hear and again your rowings, your cyclings,
your swimmings, a lot of dedication, commitment, a lot of
(10:17):
good self management. Kids getting really good at managing time.
We're in a lot of the team sports and some
individual sports have an element of team in them as well,
which is really cool, and trying to do that more
from a social perspective to keep some of to keep
kids involved in some of the more individual sports. But
the team sports are full of sort of teamwork, full
of understanding when things don't go well, how do I
(10:39):
get up? How my good teammates, how do I support others?
How do I deal with some of those setbacks myself?
So if I've missed the important shot, then then what
do I do? How do I respond? Do I wait
till next week? Do I pick myself up?
Speaker 4 (10:52):
Fight?
Speaker 3 (10:52):
I don't just sort of walk off the field. And
all of those sorts of environments are just wonderful learning
spaces for kids and coaches and parents.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
Actually it's a learning learning space for all of those,
isn't it, including the parents. Sometimes you have to find
out how they can cope with disappointment. I would like
you take your calls on this on In fact, I
threw out a broad brush question on wind is winning matter?
And that? I mean, that's an interesting one because as
we're talking just now, you know, kids have to learn
(11:24):
to cup with disappointment, and disappointment can be maybe not
making the team or maybe you've been beaten a few times,
and how do you cope with that and turn it
around because it's still got to be fun. I wait,
one hundred eighty ten eighty, let's take some calls and Natalie.
Speaker 5 (11:37):
Hello, Hi, Keim, Hi, how's your day?
Speaker 2 (11:41):
Excellent? Thank you? How's yours?
Speaker 5 (11:44):
Yeah? Yeah, I'm just thinking that children or young kids
sports should start at primary school, don't you think? I
mean I did. I started across country running at primary
primary school.
Speaker 2 (11:57):
Absolutely, I'm all for that. I mean, how were is?
I mean? I guess maybe we need to draw a
line between what's difference between just playing games and playing sport?
Actually might bring an alex on that we've just lost
Natalie there, what's the difference between just playing games that
kids do? You know, pre school and you know, all
(12:18):
sorts of things to sport. What are we talking about?
Speaker 3 (12:21):
Look, I think you want kids just to play, and
that's a whole you know, playground, school, unstructured stuff. Self
driven play is great. I think the early forms of
sport pretty much are play based structures in formal sports.
So as I think Natalie said, you know, you start
to see parents taking their kids around five or six
(12:41):
years of age to sport, and what's really happening there.
It's just facilitated play really, and it's a ball or
it's it's a racket, and they're just learning fundamentals and
having fun. So really it is just play in a
sport based environment. Early on, when we start to see
kids taking the organizers providing sport at three years of age,
(13:03):
when kids still aren't nappy trained and those things, I
probably start to ask questions, you're better sort of just
running around with your kids in the background in the
backyard and going and walks and just being more active.
But generally you start to see kids come into organized
sport from sort of five years up.
Speaker 2 (13:18):
Because I can't remember where I saw this, but but
I'm not sure if it was at a school my
girls went to, or the memories a bit vague, but
there was a policy at particular school that a child
actually had to have a medical note not to participate
in some sort of sport, and that sounds like quite
a sort of heavy type of thing, but the school's
(13:41):
attitude to sport wasn't apart from that, wasn't as strict
as that sounds. It's just that they were like, look,
unless there's a really good reason, we expect your child
to participate in something at the school. What do you
think about that sort.
Speaker 3 (13:56):
Of Yeah, Look, I think the whole medical note and
kids getting friends to write their medical notes to get
out of being lessons, it is something you probably used
to hear about a lot in the past. I think
a lot of the sporting experiences at school, and obviously
there's sport and there's pe two quite different things. But
(14:19):
I think from a learning school environment, they've got a
lot better at actually understanding the bigger picture around movement
and how important it is, so that it's not just
sport that's happening in school setting, that it's more connected
with friends and people and fun. So all of those
sorts of things are far more prominent now in school settings,
(14:40):
which is helping people get a better experience which is
going to help them rather than find excuses not to
do something. So a lot of that comes to the
learning and the teaching environment, which has improved downside.
Speaker 2 (14:50):
Actually, it is about setting that right environment, isn't it.
At the school my wife teaches that, and where my
kids went that they used to it. They have an
in your cross country and I think there was an
encouragement at least that everyone participates, no matter whether you're
fast or slow. And it's one of my There'll be
parents who have witnessed this as well. It's probably the
(15:12):
one of the It was quite an emotional thing to
watch because everyone was the school had a culture where
everyone got involved, including the children who had mobility issues,
and so the older children would be bringing out the
rear and they'd have the younger kids who or the
(15:32):
ones who struggled with movement would be supported all the
way to the end. And I almost get emotional talking
about it now because it was it was such an
amazing cultural thing to watch in that community. The support
that the that the older kids gave the younger ones,
it was incredibly moving. But that did come from a
place of like we really expect everyone to take part,
(15:52):
but it was done with the right support, and I
tell you what, there weren't many dry eyes on the
finish line.
Speaker 3 (16:00):
It's great to hear those experiences and schools have come
along way, like they dub seeing, you know, the cross
country probably of our day, where you are sometimes finding
an excuse not to do it if you're not a runner.
Now to actually a celebration of sort of physical activity
and we want everyone to take part. My daughter just
had her recent cross country. They are encouraged to come
(16:20):
and dress up, wear skirts, do face paint, everyone get involved.
You know, it's it's much more than just the running.
It's everyone taking part and you're seeing some great sort
of activities of which physical activity is part of. But
back to the start, you know, it's that wider value
of sport. It's you know, revealing character and it's getting
you know, getting people to help help each other celebrate successes.
(16:41):
I had in the football team that I used to coach.
I had a neurodiverse or a nonverbal child. As parents
connected with me early on in the year to let
me know that he wouldn't probably be responding, he wouldn't
be talking. He only does it at home and at school.
In in other settings he doesn't, so in a similar
way to you. The emotions that I sort of felt
(17:01):
at the end of that football year when he up
to me and said thanks coach, you know where he
hadn't said a word for five months. It's pretty significant stuff.
And these are the big wins in sport. This is
the real value of sport, over and above the x's
and o's, which is why we want to keep people
involved for so long.
Speaker 2 (17:21):
Got some emotional stuff, doesn't it. As I was telling
the story about the cross country, almost got a bit
choked up there. But that's the stuff that's goal, isn't it.
Speaker 3 (17:30):
It really is, And it you know back to you
know that they're trying to reveal character and help people
see that there's much more to the sport experience than
just the winning and losing. And I think that's where
parents can get a bit distracted. Sometimes you really got
to step back and get perspective and see the bigger
picture here.
Speaker 2 (17:47):
It's quite funny. I remember standing on the sideline and
I was getting a bit emotionalized, and I was thinking,
oh God, Tim, you're such a softy, And I was
shielding my face from one of the other mums and
then I turned to her and she running down her face.
I was like, oh thank god. Anyway, hey, we'd love
your thoughts on the involvement and how important it should
be for kids. But also, I mean what Alex kit
(18:10):
and I have been talking about. He's from sport and
he's the sport development manager at sport end Zed. It's
the balance between participation and also competitiveness and winning and
how do you find that balance? I mean to be honest,
I'll be I think most parents work it out hopefully
early on that when you turn up to support your
kids at the soccer, the fact that they've kicked the
ball and that went in some direction, that's the win,
(18:31):
as to whether you know one side scored more goals
than the other. But we love your thoughts on that.
On eight hundred and eighty ten to eighty. Benson is next, Benson.
I'll ask you to ask you to stick around to
laugh the break. It's twenty five past five News talk
z b This is the Parents Squad. We're with Alex Kit,
he's a sport development manager at sport end Z, talking
about the importance of children being involved in sport and
(18:51):
all the questions around that the broad question I've thrown
out there for just a bit of a chat of
with because we'd love you to join us and tell
us about your first memories of sport as a child
and what got you into it, but also if you
lost interest, what lost you interest in that? Yeah, we've
got a few texts on that. But Benson, hello, Yes,
how are you good? Thanks?
Speaker 6 (19:13):
Yes, I just want to give a contribution on h
on this subject, but I would do Dowell much on
the advantages that I've seen with my kids since removed
there from overseas to New Zealand here. The first thing
is discipline and time management.
Speaker 2 (19:35):
Yeahs as a good thing. Yeah.
Speaker 7 (19:39):
Yes.
Speaker 6 (19:39):
The other thing is that there are some of the
recreational drugs which are the kids or maybe both of
my kid's edge or my children's age, they are taking,
like energy drinks. Yes, my kids have stayed away from
that because of sports, and the one of the readily
(20:00):
available drugs is sugar as well. They've cut on sugar
because the these sports are academies or the clubs they
see don't take.
Speaker 2 (20:10):
I mean, so they've learned some good things about nutrition
and what's good and bad for you. Yes, how old
are your children Benson?
Speaker 6 (20:18):
The other one is sixteen, the other one is eleven?
Speaker 2 (20:22):
And how serious are they about their sport?
Speaker 6 (20:25):
A very very very serious. And the club you've got
a link or or some of the academies in Europe
at some point in time they would be going there.
Speaker 2 (20:38):
I think, you really what sport are we talking?
Speaker 6 (20:41):
The soka?
Speaker 2 (20:43):
Oh exciting? Are you? Are you? Are you well disciplined
on the sideline? Benson?
Speaker 6 (20:49):
Yeah, I'd try to help them as much as a kim. Yeah?
Speaker 2 (20:56):
Does do you are you conscious of you know, being
the good parents? Do you do you find that something?
Because you know, parents, you ride the highs and lows
with your kids? How do you manage your emotions?
Speaker 6 (21:09):
Sometimes they would want to stretch my eyes. I'm also
doing some of the studies as also during the weekends,
the undergone the books and they say, no, Dad, they
have to take us as possible. Day try to balance that,
but it t trickies my time as well.
Speaker 2 (21:25):
All right, yeah, yeah, oh well, good on you. Thanks
for that. Actually that's Alex just bringing on that. I
forgot about the whole energy drink thing that in fact,
I would have wondered if kids who do a lot
of sport, think that they need those energy drinks and stuff.
The role of nutrition with children in sport.
Speaker 3 (21:45):
Yeah, yeah, look at especially as you get into representative
teams or talent programs at the right ages, kids will
get a lot more education about that side of things. Again,
another really great side to sport. It's not just the
sport itself, it's the education around it. Food, nutrition, the
right sorts of things to fuel the machine, the importance
of the importance of recovery. All these sorts of things
(22:08):
are just great for humans, let alone kids playing sport.
But yeah, I Benson did have me worried there for
a little bit, tim, but we managed to get the
right information to understand.
Speaker 8 (22:18):
When he said drugs talking about One of the quotes
I always remember, and while that didn't come up, was
Judge Beecroft, the ex Children's Commissioner, where he said a
kid in sport as a kid out of court.
Speaker 3 (22:30):
And that's sort of another one of those messages where
sports are really positive influence on teenagers at that stage
in their life and can shape some really good behaviors
at times at a challenging time and people's lives where
there's so much going on.
Speaker 2 (22:44):
Yeah, what about how important is it for teams to
try and get your children involved in teen sports? Because
my intuitive thing, and it would be a reflection of
my upbringing, was I'm pretty sure. I mean, look, I
just gravitated to playing rugby for the Cohakura Weetas and
loved every moment, you know, bare feet on frosty grounds
and all that sort of stuff. But I so I
(23:07):
naturally just gravitated to a team environment. How important is
it to be because I would have thought that that
is actually quite important to some way be connected with,
you know, not just your own personal ambitions, but you know,
what you do has an impact on your teammates and
tell us about what's what the attitude of you know
what we know about that from sport and news.
Speaker 3 (23:29):
You know, I think a lot of the environment at
home and what parents have done will shape where kids go,
whether it's individual sport, team sport, or what those sports are.
But from a perspective, and we have a big focus
on on you know, you sport at the moment because
that's where we do see the drop offs sort of
in kid sports as life gets busy and things change.
(23:50):
So that's where sport's working really hard to make sure
that it stays fun and there's different pathways and different opportunities,
but a lot of it is team sport. So team
sport is where we see a lot of value where
sports are offer changing their offerings. Instead of it being
for IV five basketball, it's three B three. Instead of
it kids having to train three times a week and
play once, it's just turn up and have a go
(24:11):
with your friends. So sport's doing a really good job
of changing those offerings so kids can still get all
the wonderful team benefits, but in a way that works
for them, that sort of aligns with what their motivations are.
Speaker 2 (24:22):
At what point do you sort of let the children
make their own decisions around sport because you know, obviously
when they're little easy, you sort of enroll them in
a team and you know you've encouraged them. Hopefully they
you don't have any resistance, but there does become that resistance.
I mean, do parents have a role in trying to
push their kids through that without being you know, that parent.
Speaker 3 (24:45):
I think it's you know, the role of a parent
changes as the as the kid grows, so early on
it's more about that support and love being connected with
their why as I said, you want all kids sort
of exposed to a little bit of tolerable stress and challenge.
You know that you just don't want the chwoing gun
to stry rich so much that it breaks, So they
(25:07):
want to be able to manage it, and that's going
to build a lot of that resilience and all of
that good stuff that you want. But in those younger years,
a lot of it's just having fun. As I said before,
it's sort of playbaits based stuff where parents are sort
of taking them to training and playing and supporting them
and full of love. And then it starts to shift
(25:27):
from there. You'll start to see depending on what your
kid wants, whether they want to take more competitive pursuits
where they're more driven and they want to train and
they want to develop and they want to grow more,
or whether they just want to keep playing sport with
their mates and doing it socially. So those motivations will
change at different stages and at different ages. So it's
just as a parent, it's really important to stay connected
(25:49):
with how your kids going. Constant communication, listening, making sure
you're not trying to get them to live vicos, you're
not living vicariously through them. You're making sure you're matching
the sport experience with what they want.
Speaker 2 (26:01):
Actually that's why. I mean, I'm just reflecting on my
daughter is involved in a couple of sports. One of
my daughters is involved in very busy in sports. But
one of the coaches that she's been exposed to this
year is just one of those coaches. So I think
she's very lucky. He's an enthusiast, you know, he loves
what he's doing. The kids love him, and I think,
(26:22):
you know, that's why the role of coaches as well.
I mean, it's bleeding obvious, isn't it.
Speaker 3 (26:28):
Yeah, you know, and I think the sport landscape here
in New Zealand is dependent on coaches and a lot
of them are volunteer coaches as well, and great people
giving up their time. But you definitely know it sounds
like you were really fortunate there with your daughter where
a coach has got the bigger picture and they're using
sport as a vehicle to teach life skills and they're
(26:50):
reinforcing effort. Just we you know, the team we coach
my daughter's sort of football team, because to shift people
away and parents away from the wins and the losses.
You have to give them different metrics and different things
to focus on. So coming up with team ID to
see coming up with teen values at the start of
the season, and using the players, the guys and the
girls to do it, so that you know things like
(27:12):
always working together, trying your best, emptying the tank, always
being positive, kind to each other, being courageous as well,
and taking risks and trying things. When you start to
reinforce those things all the time, it takes kids away
from the x's and no's and you're actually shaping the
behaviors that you really want to shape and can help
kids with.
Speaker 2 (27:31):
How How old are you? Did you mention you've got
a daughter? What sort of age group?
Speaker 3 (27:35):
So yeah, look, yeah, I've lived the journey. I'm still
in the journey. So my oldest son Caleb, he's seventeen,
my daughter Billy, she's fifteen, and my younger Stellane's twelve.
Speaker 2 (27:44):
So you're right in the window in the pocket, there
aren't you, that's for sure. Okay, Hey, let's take some
more calls. Stand by Rex, Hello.
Speaker 7 (27:55):
Hey, good are you? I like to proudly share a
story from Topoul, which, by the way, today the Laker
is like glass and if you cannot be if you
could be here, you'd be in the best place and land,
unless there's somewhere else.
Speaker 2 (28:06):
More than right now beautiful clear sky.
Speaker 7 (28:10):
Oh absolutely magnificent. No snow in the mountains, of course,
but it's still early. So I want to share with you.
I was coach my daughter at eight years old in
soccer football. When they start to do structure, you know,
they start to play seriously, and so in Tope, it's
a small town, and I said, I'll coach my daughter's team.
But what they normally do is they split spread the
girls through the boys teams. And I said, no, no,
(28:30):
I won't do that. I said, I want to all
the girls. I said, because you get five guys and
the team boys and three girls, and the girls don't
learn it if they don't get the ball at the
boys dominate because they're very physically different at that age,
right especially, you know, and just by chance people don't
know this. The girls for the first they can stay
in the same grade for two years to catch up
physically to the boys, and I think it's very important
at eight years old they should stay for two years.
(28:51):
So anyway, short story was, I'll never forget. I'm very
proud to say, I hope you like this. So at
the first training session when all the parents came to
meet me and the girls were there, and I said
to them and the parents that look on their face.
I said, I'm not here to teach you how to
play soccer. That's not my job. And everyone like, you know,
the parents are like, oh my god, we don't like
this coach have teacher? Yeah, I said, I'm here to
(29:14):
teach you how to love soccer. That's my job. It's
your first year. You were going to love this game,
and I tell you how to love this game. And
the parents I saw their faces just being like wow.
And I'm very proud of that message I gave them.
And we had the most magnificent season, and I have
to tell you the funny faces of the story. My
daughter would be driving home from the game and she'd say,
(29:36):
we got a point today, Dad, didn't we We lost
like ten to one. We lost every week. And I said, yeah,
we did, we got a point that she said, did
you see that? Girls? Did you see us tackle today?
And the last game of the season, the girls finally
beat the boys, and that's as good as a story yes,
and they learned to love the damn game. And that's
the most important message I can do to anybody out there.
Speaker 2 (29:57):
Actually, Rex, you've also touched on something I meant to
mention to Alex, is that what what age was? Sorry?
What age?
Speaker 7 (30:03):
Eight years old? Eight years old?
Speaker 2 (30:05):
Because I reckon when I watched my daughter when she
first started sports, she was playing soccer, that the kids
they sort of if they were curious about the score,
they were curious, but they didn't really care so long
as it seemed to me that if they scored a goal,
even if as you say, it was ten to one against,
that was the moment which was worth it all for them.
(30:25):
They don't care about the long term thing early on.
They care about just the moment and if they have
a good moment, that's it for them in.
Speaker 7 (30:34):
A nutshell, like you said, And like seriously, when they
tackled a boy hard, honestly, all the girls would be like,
you know, like that's that that was always the greater
moment of scoring a point, like seeing some guy get
you know, some young boys and he tackled hard by
the girls, so it was fantastic. But keep the girls
as a team, you know, and that message like I say,
you know, I say it to love the game.
Speaker 2 (30:51):
Good stuff, Rex, thanks for your care mate.
Speaker 7 (30:53):
Thanks guys.
Speaker 2 (30:54):
Actually, that is an interesting challenge, is the gender split,
because for instance, you know, there is a point where
the boys and girls do play again, and that's a challenge,
isn't it, Alex, Because if that if they get that wrong.
You know, the boys are physically you know, once puberty
starts to kick in. One of my daughters plays hockey,
(31:16):
and there was mixed teams last year. But you do
sort of go, oh, we're getting into territory where we
can the girls can end up having a negative experience.
That's a tricky one for sport to manage, isn't it.
Speaker 3 (31:29):
Yeah? And firstly, before I go there, to just head
off to Rex, like there's so many great humans that
get the bigger picture. Are giving kids the joy. You know,
they're getting bitten by the bug and falling in love
with sport because success is actually coming back next season
and I'm sure that a lot of those girls and
Rex's team did, which is awesome. But yeah, when it
comes to the gender sort of options, what's really cool
(31:52):
in the last probably ten years is that a lot
of sports there has been a lot of investment, raised profile,
more awareness around the important and equality around female sport.
And what you're starting to see are female offerings and
FEMI only pathways in a lot of our major sports,
which is awesome and it's really an interesting space. Or
(32:13):
when's the right time for a young player to play
let's say, girls only, And it really a lot of
that comes down to the individual. So what we tend
to see is some of the girls that are maybe
more socially inclined will start to drop off if the
younger and they're playing with boys, Whereas if you give
them an offering where it's girls only, they'll stay involved
and that's what they want. They'll have a better experience,
(32:33):
Whereas some of the more competitive and driven girls, you
might say, actually they're coping and undering really well with
the boys and if they're comfortable, they're stay there for
as long as it's safe. And different sports will have
different points where they sort of look at those sorts
of things, so again it will depend on the individual.
But there's lots of offerings now to meet the different.
Speaker 2 (32:53):
Needs of and it is a challenge actually we need
to take a break, but it is a bit of
a challenge, isn't it with just some of the sports,
because they also have to try and provide a competition,
and look, you know, puberty is an arbitrary thing. So
although there was nothing more satisfying than seeing something with
my daughter seeing the ball here take the ball off
another boy who just didn't see it coming. And I
(33:14):
remember thinking, yeah, there's one for the girls anyway, But
that's just because I'm one of those fathers and I
just have to keep it quiet to myself. Anyway, We'll
be back in just a moment. It's Angels Next. It's
seventeen did I say right? Yes? Seventeen minutes six news
talks he'd been with Tim Beverage with Alex Kid he
is sport development manager at Sport New Zealand, talking about
getting your kids involved in sport, all those questions around
(33:35):
it and Angel Hello, how are you hi?
Speaker 3 (33:38):
Hi?
Speaker 1 (33:38):
Good?
Speaker 4 (33:38):
Thanks?
Speaker 2 (33:39):
How'd you do good? Thanks?
Speaker 4 (33:41):
Great? Cool. I just wanted to add to the long
list of positive reasons why we have kids in sports.
We found that it gives kids, our kids more exposure
to other friend groups, so they don't just have their
little quickie.
Speaker 2 (33:56):
Oh yes, yes, yes, yes, things.
Speaker 4 (33:59):
Go down with that group of friends and these issues
is bullying or anything like that. They have a much
more they have more debts to their the people that
they're hanging out with and that they go to sleepovers
with and they have go to birthday parties with, which
is quite quite good.
Speaker 2 (34:14):
That that's a great point, actually, Angel, because I didn't
even I don't think we had friend groups and eyes
at school. But it's it is a thing these days, isn't.
Speaker 4 (34:21):
It a bit more claquy? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (34:23):
Yeah, what's what's what sports did you get your kids
involved in?
Speaker 4 (34:27):
Well, we've got one. The boy is not very sporty,
so we're still trying to encourage him to find his
son judo. Then we put him into teams for he
did cricket. Okay, he's going to try He's going to
try wrestling this year. He's a bit of a you know,
he's not he's not that keen on activity. He's a
bit of a nerd, which is fun. But we think
(34:49):
there's a lot of a lot of as we've said today,
just a lot of positive things to come out of sport.
He's fourteen, our girls eleven, and she's super sporty. So
when we wanted her to play netball. She we knew
she we should be really good. So we started watching
sport at home. Would want to take them to live
(35:10):
games to try and get them excited about what it is,
what sport can be. And she's, yeah, she's doing really well.
She started netball last year. She started in the lowest grade.
She'd never played before, and she just had so much
fun with the girls. And we get to meet the
other mums as well, and just I know that there
are some parents that maybe overextend themselves in there at
(35:33):
sports on Saturday morning, Sunday mornings. There's always some they
never have any three times, so we're also conscious as well.
Speaker 2 (35:41):
Now that's thank you, Angel, thanks for sharing that with us.
And actually that's a great point about the social side
of things, because you know, school can be a bit
plicky with friend groups and things, and isn't it Alex.
Speaker 3 (35:51):
Oh, yeah, I think that's great. With sport. It it
puts the kids into a different group. If you're not
playing with the school group, you're at a club. It
gives you a great opportunity to meet different kids and families,
which can quite especially teenage girls, I think can really
help at some of those sort of for years.
Speaker 2 (36:05):
What about kids who are not angel mentioned with her
sons not really and they've got them into a bit
into wrestling and judo. But what if your kids not
your child is not so inclined in sport. Is it
just you know, just keep trying or how do you
encourage those children of sport?
Speaker 3 (36:21):
Yeah? Look, I think parents are going to know their
kids best and they'll do what they can to sort
of lean them into it. But you know, one of
the best tricks that we have used where kids aren't
aren't as keen as is to bring them made along
do the sport that their friends are doing. So if
their mates are doing it, it's a really good way
to lean the kids into things. But again, parents know
their kids best. Then if they're not feeling comfortable, not
(36:43):
feeling safe, then and then maybe there's another form of
activity or another hobby or something that works for them.
Speaker 2 (36:48):
Great, Alex, you said that you've got one of the
best jobs in the country, sport Development manager at Sport
in New Zealand. We'll forget your back sometimes, shall we.
Speaker 3 (36:56):
I really enjoy what we do and I don't take
it for granted, that's for sure.
Speaker 2 (37:00):
Term good on you, Hey, thanks so much for your time.
I really appreciated Alex. All good, Okay, okay, b bye,
We'll be back in just a moment. That was Alex Kip,
sport development Manager. Up next, we're talking sport with Kobe Murrati.
This is News Talk SEDB, coming up to ten to six.
Speaker 1 (37:16):
For more from the weekend collective. Listen live to News
Talk SEDB weekends from three pm, or follow the podcast
on iHeartRadio.
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