Youth Fitness- Share your passion with your kids

Remember the word play? As children we would go out and play till the street lights came; hop on a bike and ride till the sun went down. Unfortunately, in today's highly structured and fast paced society kids have less emphasis on play. You may be over structured yourself and look for extra time to spend with your children.

You probably get a lot out of your multi-sport training and racing. Wouldn't you like to share that with your children? Get your kids involved in the next 'fun' run. Talk to your kids about what they do in their PE classes, and about what they enjoy. Teach, encourage and promote them. Take some time out of your own training to share it with your kids. Make it fun.

Youth multi-sport programs are developing around the country and it is time to give back to your sport. Here are a few ways you can get your child involved and what to focus on.

Set and example of healthy, active living (triathlon as a lifestyle).

FUN (enjoyment of sport; celebration of personal excellence and camaraderie). This is most important for youth participation. Remove competitive pressures.

Lifelong participation (recreational and competitive streams; developmentally appropriate training). It is well known that children of athletic parents become athletes themselves. You may be developing a passion you can share for a lifetime.

Safety (distance and equipment regulations; national races and sanctioning standards). Safety should be a primary consideration, not just for your child but for their events as well. Work to make their sport as safe as possible.

Skill Development. Learning is much more important than winning. Skill development should be right after fun as the main focus for a youth endurance sport program. Make sure they learn the rules of their sport.

If you don't have kids then get involved by volunteering with a youth tri-team or a youth running club. You will take pride in helping youth athletes grow and develop into healthy and strong men and women.

- Holly Marzetti

North Atlanta Youth Triathlon Club