The Philippine Online Chronicles

I am not sport-minded at all. When I was in grade school, the only sport I know and I actively participated in are some

Oh but I do love to dance. Dancing is a sport, right? In high school, I kept on dancing, although I did try to play ball  with my friends when there was time and the field was free for basketball and volleyball.

But the truth is, I am more fond of enjoying the game with my friends; I am not really into playing the game for real. In fact, I am afraid to hit the volleyball; and I am afraid to block the basketball. I am simply afraid of the ball!

And yet, I am not a wimp. Because you see, even though I am afraid of the ball, I would have fun chasing the ball, cheering for my mates (too much so that I would sometimes forget I am supposed to be playing with them, with running after the ball, with dribbling the ball. It is just that I don’t have the right drive to go for the real game. Maybe I am just absolutely out for fun and too lethargic for the hard work that is needed to become an athlete.

But my lethargy seemed to vanish when I became a mom. Because no matter how tired I am, the kids would always have the energy to request for ‘one more time’ – no matter what kind of game playing at whatever time of the day.

Well, I have two kids and we live in Germany. There are no extended family members around us. There are no babysitters. And most of all, the playtime here are done mostly per appointment. Spontaneous play dates are almost non-existent. Therefore, I am mostly the playmate of my girls.

There is enough space to play, enough activities to join to be active and to keep fit, aside from those offered at school and at home. There are playgrounds with monkey bars, spider webs, wall climbing, tunnels, etc. There are open fields, woods, and gardens to explore. There are sport programs to attend.

If we are in a big field, we go running a hundred times or catch ball. If there’s a basketball court, we shoot balls. If there’s enough wind, we fly a kite. If there are trees, we climb them. If there are woods, we walk and hike. If there’s a rope, we tug. If there are stones or logs around, they do their balancing acts. If there’s snow, they sled or ski. If the sun shines, they go biking or inline skating. Yes, I have two girls but they are very active girls.

Keeping up with my girls’ energy encouraged them to be active, and become sport-minded. It also helped that I keep my thoughts and my doubts to myself. If I think the sport is too dangerous, I don’t infect them with my fears. My girls know what they could do. If I think the sport is too ridiculous, I keep it to myself. My girls would discover it somehow. If I think the sport is too lame, I keep mum. My girls would get out of it in time.

My husband and I offer the girls plenty of encouragement, especially if we realize that they love the sport activity they chose. We bake cakes, man the gates, and show-up as a family if they have special activities.

I also keep myself updated with the community’s sport programs. If there are try-outs scheduled or there are open-house programs, we almost always bring the girls -- just to show them what the sport activity is all about. If they are interested, they could join; if not, goodbye.

And because it was fun for my girls, the first sport club they joined was the gymnastics team. You see, they just used those things they learned to love outdoors and recreated them in the gymnastics hall: balancing acts, climbing, running, kite flying, etc. They had fun with the free-style gymnastics. It improved their coordination, balance and flexibility, and made the girls more confident in joining other sports.

So they joined ballet. Then they decided to try swimming. At now they are doing vaulting.

Vaulting is something else. Vaulting is gymnastics performed on a moving horse, going on a circle line, in full harmony.

I know that girls have always been interested in horses. They love horseback riding. But after attending an open house for the Horseback Riding and Vaulting Club last summer, they suddenly became vaulting enthusiasts! Who would have thought they would love doing gymnastics on a horse!! I was a little afraid for them at first, but I didn’t let them know, of course.

Good thing because the first vaulting try-out with both girls was a success. The trainer even praised the girls and asked if they practiced!

And in between those sport activities, we are still going for long walks or hikes. They still climb trees. They run around. Catch balls, fly kites, climb walls, do inline skates, go biking, etc.

As for me, who am not really sportminded, I became an active member of the local gymnastics club here in Germany. I even joined trainings and seminars to become a full gymnastics trainer and received my certificate, too! All of that because, I wanted my girls to be sportminded. And I guess because I discovered I had been missing out on the fun.