Article Presentation - Nov. 2011

1. +
Russell, J. S. (2007). Children and Dangerous Sport and Recreation.
Journal of the Philosophy of Sport, 34(2), 176-193.
welcome

2. +
About me…
 Ryan Aubin ( hi )
 Director for the Town of Griswold
 I Oversee
The Park & Recreation Dept.
 Along with
The Youth & Family Services Dept.
 Only a rookie,
I have 7 years experience
as a Director.
 I have a staff of 40+ during summer
and nine during fall/winter.
 I am responsible for eight parks,
two budgets & a youth center.

3. +
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.

4. +
An article by J.S. Russell
If you limit risk of injury, from your
children’s sports and activities…

5. +
An article by J.S. Russell
are you also preventing
opportunities of personal
growth…

6. +
An article by J.S. Russell
which is critical to the process of
adolescences to adulthood?

7. +
Huh?
 If
you limit risk of injury, from your children’s sports
and activities…
 areyou also preventing opportunities of personal
growth…
 which is critical to the process of adolescences to
adulthood?

8. +
In Relation to Sport…
P.E. Teachers?
?
What Sport are You Unable to Have Your Students Participate in?

9. Dodgeball has been outlawed
+ by some school districts in
In Relation to Sport… New York, Texas, Utah and
Virginia.
How About
Connecticut?
? NO
But Removed
From Many
School Districts
by Board of
Education
Requests.

10. +
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.

11. +
Russell’s article explores
these questions by
classifying two
perspectives.
1. The Common Sense View
2. The Uncommon Sense View

12. +
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.

13. +
The Common Sense View
 The DAD would protect a child or adult in any
situation of risk.
 Thoughthe 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.

14. +
A world
without
risk…
Please consider, with the well-known human
necessity of pushing limits purely for the thrill
of the experience…

15. +
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?

16. +
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.

17. +
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.

18. +
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.

19. +
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.)

20. + Focus on
Childhood
Development
 A Child’s world is
filled with thought-
producing hurdles that
expand the limits of
their being:
Physically
Intellectually
Emotionally.

21. + Focus on
Childhood
Development
 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.

22. + Focus on
Childhood
Development
 More
importantly,
it is the driving
TONY
force for those
trying to master
a sport or
personal goal.

23. + This authortwo points
expresses
of views and
creatively argues
against the cultural
pursuit of removing
all risk from sport
and recreational
settings.
J.S. Russel

24. +
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.”

25. +
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.

26. +
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.

27. +
Though the
article was an
outstanding
opinioned piece
of work…
It did have its flaws….

28. +
Flaws…
Why was there no
study/experiment to prove the
statements?
Why the tunnel vision
perspective discounting youth’s
with disabilities?

29. +
No study or experiment…
Just opinion…
Iwould 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.

30. +
No study or experiment…
Just opinion…
 Both groups of five subjects
 Observed / Surveyed at:
 5 years old
 16 years old
 27 years old.

31. +
How About…
 Questioningcould 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.

32. +
Youth involved in risky sports
would show characteristics of…
Courage Leadership Empathy
In Their Adult Occupations

33. +
What about Disabilities?
 Thelast 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?

34. +
Why did
I pick
this
article?

35. + Why did
I pick
this
•In 2007, sitting on my office desk article?
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…

36. + Why did
I pick
•Their group wanted my department this
to sign a petition to ban what they article?
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.

37. + Why did
I pick
•My opinion is that as long as this
there are those who think article?
government intervention is
necessary on every aspect of our
lives…

38. + Why did
I pick
• Even simple backyard games like this
freeze tag and red rover will to be article?
banned from non-profit/municipal
camps and programming…
My opinion is that this will
•
undoubtedly impair generations to
come.
=
GENERATION WUSSY?

39. + Why did
I pick
•Nevertheless, that petition sat
this
comfortably in my trashcan.
article?

40. +
Class 1 2
Activity
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?

41. +
THE 1 2
GAME
OF TAG
3 4
• Per Sport:
•What is a Risk Related?
•What Positive Benefit is Learned from this Risk?

42. +
SKATE 1 2
BOARDING
3 4
• Per Sport:
•What is a Risk Related?
•What Positive Benefit is Learned from this Risk?

43. +
DODGE 1 2
- BALL
3 4
• Per Sport:
•What is a Risk Related?
•What Positive Benefit is Learned from this Risk?

44. +
1 2
KARATE
3 4
• Per Sport:
•What is a Risk Related?
•What Positive Benefit is Learned from this Risk?

45. Thank you for listening….