+

welcome

Russell, J. S. (2007). Children and Dangerous Sport and Recreation.

Journal of the Philosophy of Sport, 34(2), 176-193.

+About me…

Ryan Aubin ( hi )

Director for the Town of Griswold

I OverseeThe Park & Recreation Dept.

Along with The Youth & Family Services Dept.

Only a rookie, I have 7 years experienceas a Director.

I have a staff of 40+ during summerand nine during fall/winter.

I am responsible for eight parks,two budgets & a youth center.

+About me…

I work for the Town I grew up in.

I love my job.

I work too much.

I get paid too little.

Working with kids each day,

makes all the stress worth it.

+

If you limit risk of injury, from your

children’s sports and activities…

An article by J.S. Russell

+

are you also preventing

opportunities of personal

growth…

An article by J.S. Russell

+

which is critical to the process of

adolescences to adulthood?

An article by J.S. Russell

+Huh?

If you limit risk of injury, from your children’s sports

and activities…

are you also preventing opportunities of personal

growth…

which is critical to the process of adolescences to

adulthood?

+In Relation to Sport…

P.E. Teachers?

What Sport are You Unable to Have Your Students Participate in?

?

+In Relation to Sport…

?

Dodgeball has been outlawed

by some school districts in

New York, Texas, Utah and

Virginia.

How About

Connecticut?

But Removed

From Many

School Districts

by Board of

Education

Requests.

NO

+In Dodgeball…

According to

Russell, by

removing your

children from sports

/ activities with a

higher element of

risk….

That loss

opportunity will have

a long term affect on

your child

throughout his/her

life.

+Russell’s article explores

these questions by

classifying two

perspectives.

1. The Common Sense View

2. The Uncommon Sense View

+The Common Sense View

Highlighted by a fabrication of eliminating all

risk, by the oversight of the “Danger Averting

Devices,”

comically titled:

“DADs” for short.

D.A.D.

+The Common Sense View

The DAD would protect a child or adult in any

situation of risk.

Though the suggestion of the device is imaginative,

the DAD would remove all risk for any situation,

ever.

The DAD system gives the reader a perspective

of a world without accidents and injuries thus

removing the child’s likelihood to confront or

experience risk firsthand.

+

Please consider, with the well-known human

necessity of pushing limits purely for the thrill

of the experience…

A world

without

risk…

+

• Wouldn’t the daily interference of the DAD

oversight increase the urge a certain type of

youth/adults to perform riskier behaviors?

A world

without

risk…

+Is Risk a Good Thing?

Physical fear and pain, experienced in dangerous

sports or activities, inform our moral imagination of

what it is like to be suffering?

Therefore reinforces empathy upon other humans

leading to positive actions to assist those who need

us.

+Risk & Danger…

Offers the participant a chance to make:

good choices,

encourage confidence

to live healthier based on knowledge from prior

experiences.

For example, in baseball, if you are standing too close

to plate the ball may hit you.

- You will learn from your mistakes.

+The Uncommon Sense View

Focuses on the value of self-affirmation

DEFINITION: SELF – AFFIRMATION

The theory of self-

affirmation is a

psychological theory

that was first

proposed by Claudia

Steele (1988) with the

premise that people

are motivated to

maintain the integrity

of the self.

+The Uncommon Sense View

As a youth challenging him/herself to test limits of

one’s being, the boy/girl will have a chance:

to face danger

to manage the situation and

absorb the benefit of learning virtues (like courage,

pride, self-sufficiency and perseverance from the

experience.)

+ Focus on

Childhood

Development

A Child’s world is

filled with thought-

producing hurdles that

expand the limits of

their being:

Physically

Intellectually

Emotionally.

+

Confronting a

challenging physical

dangerous situation

creates a unique

situation to approach,

attempt, fail or

overcoming the

obstacles.

This leads to creating

and discovering oneself and

understanding your mortal limits.

Focus on

Childhood

Development

+

More

importantly,

it is the driving

force for those

trying to master

a sport or

personal goal.

TONY

Focus on

Childhood

Development

+ This author

expresses two points

of views and

creatively argues

against the cultural

pursuit of removing

all risk from sport

and recreational

settings.

J.S. Russell

+Removing Risk will…

Have a negative affect on the youth

participants and their journey into adulthood.

Understandably, games like two-hand touch

football, tag, baseball and etc…

“have an element of risk, but they also

have positive factors learned from the

experience of risk.”

+

It is up to the facilitator… (i.e. league, town, city, board and/or organization)

to have a fundamental concentration of

limiting the risk of injury, at all

opportunities…

while allowing the participant to have

his/her own learning experience.

+Coaches & Instructors must…

Systematically introduce the participants to

the risk and properly describe how to

advert danger, ultimately better preparing

them for the experience.

For example, when teaching skateboarding,

the first lesson is how to fall

properly to protect you

from injury.

+

It did have its flaws….

Though the

article was an

outstanding

opinioned piece

of work…

+Flaws…

Why was there no

study/experiment to prove the

statements?

Why the tunnel vision

perspective discounting youth’s

with disabilities?

+No study or experiment…

Just opinion…

I would recommend a mixed method study with a

case study design of two groups.

One group = sheltered from two identified “dangerous”

sports.

Other Group = children who participated

in the same two “dangerous” sports.

+No study or experiment…

Just opinion…

Both groups of five subjects

Observed / Surveyed at:

5 years old

16 years old

27 years old.

+How About…

Questioning could reflect their opinions and personal

milestones related to topics:

Pride,

Leadership,

Empathy

self-awareness, at each stage of their lives along with

their guardian’s perspective.

+Youth involved in risky sports

would show characteristics of…

Courage Leadership Empathy

In Their Adult Occupations

+What about Disabilities?

The last argument, which is reality but is not

mentioned within the article, are those who have

disabilities from birth like Cystic Fibrosis, Type 1

Disabilities, Brittle Bone Disease and etc.

Would the author still demonstrate an unenthusiastic

scrutiny on playground risk-sanitation if a child could

be tragically injured, paralyzed or worst by

participating?

+

Why did

I pick

this

article?

+ Why did

I pick

this

article?• In 2007, sitting on my office desk

was an envelope from a private

group, within Connecticut.

• They were citing an article about

East Shore Middle School, of Milford,

banning high-fives, hugging and

horseplay from their district.

They were risky behaviors…

+ Why did

I pick

this

article?

• Their group wanted my department

to sign a petition to ban what they

consider are risky activities, like

dodge ball, red rover, lacrosse and

etc.

• This article brilliantly expressed

opinions that I hold but could not

describe at that point in my career.

+ Why did

I pick

this

article?

• My opinion is that as long as

there are those who think

government intervention is

necessary on every aspect of our

lives…

+ Why did

I pick

this

article?

• Even simple backyard games like

freeze tag and red rover will to be

banned from non-profit/municipal

camps and programming…

• My opinion is that this will

undoubtedly impair generations to

come.

=

GENERATION WUSSY?

+ Why did

I pick

this

article?

• Nevertheless, that petition sat

comfortably in my trashcan.

+

Class

Activity

1 2

3 4• I Will Display 4 “Risky” Sports, One at a Time.

• Please Identify:

• What is a Risk Related?

• What Positive Benefit is Learned from this Risk?

+

1 2

3 4

THE

GAME

OF TAG

• Per Sport:

•What is a Risk Related?

•What Positive Benefit is Learned from this Risk?

+

1 2

3 4

SKATE

BOARDING

• Per Sport:

•What is a Risk Related?

•What Positive Benefit is Learned from this Risk?

+

1 2

3 4

DODGE

- BALL

• Per Sport:

•What is a Risk Related?

•What Positive Benefit is Learned from this Risk?

+

1 2

3 4KARATE

• Per Sport:

•What is a Risk Related?

•What Positive Benefit is Learned from this Risk?

Thank you for listening….