Plus ça change

[muninnhuginn]

I've been listening with interest to Roger Black on Radio 4 (Roger Black's Olympic Challenge). Several things have occurred to me, some depressingly chiming with my own experiences of school sport over a quarter of a century ago.

In fact that's the first point: after all these years of "Education, education, education" have we still not got the facilities and kit sorted out so that young men and women fell comfortable with their changing rooms and sports wear? Evidently not. Cold, communal changing rooms;  freezing or scalding communal showers with holes in the party wall to the boys' facilities; regulation sports gear that was uncomfortable and unattractive; well these were the things that put me off (even more than my inability to run fast, catch the ball, negotiate the gym equipment...). It's still true. And girls will, generally, be worse affected by these things. Not that I'm denying that boys would almost certainly prefer nice changing rooms and cool kit too. I'm certain they'll have the same embarrassments about their bodies that girls do too.

But, boys don't menstruate. I don't know how other women felt when they were in their teens (or earlier) and coping with the practicalities of growing up. But communal changing when your terrified that "it'll show", shorts and running around when pads can (and do) slip.... Feeling hotter and sweatier and smellier because you're bleeding, but not wanting to shower communally (if you use pads, can you shower communally?).... Especially if you're unlucky and right from the start your periods are heavy, or irregular, or just downright painful.

I bet this isn't mentioned on the programme.

So facilities, check. Crap as ever.

What about the activities? At primary school, we did country dancing. (didn't we all. Join in now: "Circle to the left, to the left, to the left, now, circle to the right, to the right, and stop. Put your right foot in, and your left foot in, and right foot, and left foot, and... circle to the left, etc.") At secondary school, while the boys did rugby, the girls did dance. It was a little before the boom in aerobics in the '80s, but that's what we were doing: exercise to music. We all loved it. We also worked hard, built up a sweat. There was no pushing and shoving, there were no comments from the lads, there were no losers. It was in the well of the concert hall, which was a nicer space than either the gym or sports hall. I still dance, given the chance.

It took Black into the second programme to address this.

Facilities, activities, time.

At secondary school, for the first two years I had three hours of PE a week, then two hours, then some time during the optional "leisure" activities. At primary school I had three or so, plus dance. Now, I can't speak for secondary schools now, but primary level I do see. Looby Loo has two scheduled days this year: they use one, and not every week. I think the average is less than one session per week. They don't do dance with the man on the radio every week. Her extracurricular activities--ballet and swimming--aren't extra anything. They are the fundamentals.

I'm in two minds about this.

On the one hand, shortening the school day one day a week, as the French do, and providing lots of community-based physical activities (note not "sport": it's too exclusive a term and we want all physical activities, dance, yoga, football, gym sessions, swimming....) seems ideal. That is, take it away from the schools and leave them to teach other things. But we're not set up for it. And we, as a society, wouldn't want to pay to make it happen.

Alternatively, make sure schools do more physical activity, ensuring it happens, and it's varied enough to interest most children. And that means dance, aerobics, plus the team sports and athletics and swimming. With nice kit and good changing facilities. Nah, that won't work. There's no room on the timetable, national curriculum, no money for equipment.... I can imagine the litany of reasons why not.

I dunno. I loathed most sports at school (except dance and cricket at primary, dance and [street] orienteering at secondary). I don't do organised exercise, but I walk everywhere I can (knee joints permitting). I don't enjoy sports in crowds or noisy gyms. I'd fence, if I could get one-on-one coaching. I see my little one going the same way.

Comments

[mkillingworth.livejournal.com]

I have equally dismal memories of school physical education programs. I got much more exercise by going roller skating and playing softball, even though I was crap at catching. I now know that my eyes don't focus together, which for some reason they couldn't figure out back in the dark ages. Of course, a lot of my activities started getting curtailed early on thanks to repeated knee injuries.

Fencing sounds like fun, but I would imagine it would be difficult with dodgy knees.

[muninnhuginn]

I was clumsy, terrified of heights, terrified of falling over, and couldn't see outside because there was too much light. PE was not fun.

[fjm.livejournal.com]

I still shudder at the thought of school sport and the pleated skirts that one's mother had to iron (and my mother thought ironing a bourgois plot).

I was not a team player so that was horrendous, they wouldn't let me where my spectacles, I had a size D bust by the age of 12 (and sports bras didn't exist) and I wasn't too well (but we didn't know why).

But what I really, really remember with bitterness was the utter lack of actual teaching. Can you imagine an approach to algebra that began "there's the sum on the board, you can all do it if you just put enough effort in. *Jane*! You just aren't *trying*!!!"

[muninnhuginn]

The last, at least, seems to be changing. There's an emphasis early on on key skills before any sports are actually played. And proper warm up exercises. But it's still sport. Dance of any type is a goner at primary level.

[wingedphaeton.livejournal.com]

yes - fencing is cool. I have so loved taking it up!
I hated sports a comprehensive. I couldn;t abide being made to run around a sports field three times in pain (I didn't realise other people did not have a permanentn pain in their right ankle until many years later). I liked Netball, but in a vast comprehensive you didn't get to play in a team therefore you didn't get coaching and so none took it seriously. There we also had comunal showers.
The girls grammar was heaps better. no showers at all. no cross country or athletics. We had skirts for PE (and I prefer skirts to trousers for all activities for precisely the reasons that you outlined re shorts and pads). I loved dance,trampoline and gym, pre menstruation, and got to do badminton afterwards - I don;t know how they managed it , but I think the school had a well run and sympathetic PE department that were passionate that all girls enjoy some exercise. With the emphasise on enjoy. Within their limits they did what they could to cope with our likes and dislikes. The comprehensive onthe other hand believed in forcing everyone to do the same things - enjoyment wasn;t what it was about, rather that we were exercised inthe way they thought fit.