Why Sailing is Important for Kids

 

Sports help kids get involved in something active and provides the exercise that all of us need. Sports help children be apart of a group where they not only need to work hard to make themselves better but teaches them how to work to make their team better as well. Sports help children develop physical skills, make friends, have fun, learn to play fair and improve their self esteem. It teaches them about winning and losing. It can also help them realize that they can rebound from a loss to win the next time. Sports can help kids to tackle complex problems at an early age. It helps them develop a hard working attitude.

While I think all sports offer children a lot, the one that I believe offers the most is sailing. Sailing is a sport that is accessible to almost everyone. You don’t have to be tall, large, or strong, although you can be. It is equally accessible to boys and girls. You find very young children and senior citizens sailing – it is a life time sport. It is a sport that uses physical skills but also your intellect to a much greater aspect than other sports. It is a sport that requires the sailor to take responsibility for himself/herself, his/her crew and for his/her boat. It is a sport that teaches you to be sensitive to nature and how to be more attentive to it. It is a sport that requires one to be attentive to changing conditions and how to react to them.

I have learned a lot about life through sailing. I have had to adjust my attitudes to take wins and losses more in stride, never getting too high or too low. Sailing has also taught me about the Corinthian Spirit. The way in which sailors learn the rules of sailing and are very competitive in racing, but they never forget that sailing is also a sport to be enjoyed. You will face the same competitors again time after time in your life, so that treating each other like you expect to be treated is very important. It is about honor. It is about lifelong friendships. It is about continuously learning and helping each other. In other sports you shake your competitor’s hand and leave but sailing is one of the few sports I've seen where you can work with your competitor to make you both better.

This is an activity that is appealing on a college application as it makes the applicant stand out. Many colleges today offer varsity sailing; others offer it as a club sport and some of the best college programs are also the best academic programs and can be a great edge if you dream of the Ivy League. Regardless of the reason for sailing and your background, sailing offers many life lessons that help shape values and behaviors for later life.