"I’m a proud physical educator. I am former coach. I am a wife, daughter, sister, aunt, and mom. I AM FIT! I AM HEALTHY! I care about my physical, mental, and social well-being. And guess what? I really care about those things for my family, students, and friends. What I have learned and continue to learn growing up in a very active family, playing sports as a kid and adult, the classes I took in PE and the classes I continue to take online, health clubs, or at PE workshops are LIFE BENEFITTING values, skills, and behaviors that I have and will continue to embrace to be my best self. And these values, skills, and behaviors are what I teach, coach, and parent today.

As a PE teacher, I have seen activities come and go, changes in concepts and philosophies but having kids find time each day to move, enjoy movement, and make connections with their mental health, academics, and quality of life has been the foundation, and will continue to be.

Has PE changed from when I was a student? Absolutely. And it continues to change. Laws, budgets, curriculum, and requirements change. PE is constantly being poked at. I strongly believe every child in our country should be enrolled in a PE class, every single day. It should be taught by professionals.

As a PE teacher, former coach, and parent I have concerns with sports, the environment, and the emphasis. Sports should not replace PE. And sports should be an extension of the classroom and encourage a love of the game, sportspersonship, training is safe and appropriate, and to nurture and encourage healthy competition, personal goals, and cooperation. I worry that the athletic environment cultivates burnout, aggression, winning is everything, and making it unattainable or unaffordable for many. Sports should be equitable. The past 20 years I have seen an increase in sport specializing, year-round training, tournaments, travel, and an increase in costs, fees, and gear. I have also witnessed an increase in disturbing and questionable fan-parent-behavior, athlete burnout, focus on playing in college, and unrealistic athletic ambitions from all stakeholders.

It comes down to this for me as a parent. Frankie, “Did you get your heart health, brain health on today?” If she answers yes, I am satisfied. I hold no value if she is the greatest, most skilled, fastest, etc. I want her to be healthy, happy, smart, and fit. Because of her daily commitment to move, acquired from PE, sports she chooses to participate in, or the activities we choose to enjoy as a family."

"To me the most important takeaways from sports are the physical activity, the bonds you share with your teammates and the learning to lose, as well as learning to win.  I would always encourage parents to encourage their children to play many different sports in a fun, recreational setting.  A few byproducts of playing a variety of sports and having a variety of coaches, is that you end up with a great mix of teammates, you learn to thrive with many different communication styles and you learn to struggle in a sport that may not be the one you are best at.  Later in life, you may not get the job you applied for, you may not get accepted into the school you applied for or you may get denied by the girl you want to date.  Losing and struggling in sports teaches you that things aren’t always going to go your way, and sometimes you need to dust yourself off, learn and try again."

My participation in organized sports probably saved my life. As a 8th grader heading in the wrong direction, my involvement with  freshmen football gave me an arena to work out my teenage angst, and figure out that recognition and achievement are gained through commitment to something bigger than yourself. I can’t imagine who I would be today if I had not learned those life lessons.

"At some point, a lot of coaches and parents of youth recreational leagues should stop worrying about wins and championships and try to enjoy the practices/games as much as the kids while teaching fundamentals of the sport. Unfortunately, many coaches or parents can suck the fun right out of the environment. Yelling from the sidelines, bleachers or stands, “THAT’S A FOUL!, THROW YOUR FLAG!!, or C’MON WAKE UP!!! etc.” only diminishes the enjoyment from those actually on the court/field performing the activity. Not to mention can destroy a young player’s or official’s potential . And worse, the kids start emulating that behavior. I was talking to a colleague the other day and it appears (to us two anyway) that there’s an improved positive cultural shift going on in several High School and College sports programs regarding coaching, player development and parent influence. Youth Rec programs… not so much."

"The dopamine drip that I get from physical activity has propelled me to a lifetime of personal fitness and health." This is the first thing that came to me when I read your topics. So many kids' are getting that drip from social media and and it is affecting their overall health. The message is put down the phone and go workout!!!

We see the health benefits of physical activity on a daily basis in Parks & Recreation.  Data as of February 2019 from the Washington State Recreation and Conservation office states that $106 million dollars would be saved annually by getting more Washingtonians active & outdoors!  Some of the health benefits of physical activity through parks and recreation are; less obesity, improved sleep, less stress, quality family time, smoother recovery from surgery & heart attack, clearer thinking, lower blood pressure, improved immune functioning, reduced ADHD, reduced depression, less anxiety and increased happiness.