From lifelong friendships to powerful life lessons to everlasting memories of thrilling victories, there are many reasons for your kids to play sports.
As a parent, you can encourage your kids to participate in, or at least try, youth sports. With so many other factors and activities pulling them in different directions, it’s important to properly frame and discuss the many rewards of playing sports.
Liberty Mutual Insurance Play Positive sat down with U.S. Snowboarding standout Ryan Wachendorfer to get his thoughts on the importance of playing sports along with the life lessons he learned.
In our exclusive TAKE 5 interview Ryan told us that he believes the biggest life lesson taught by sports is that anything truly enjoyable or valuable must be earned in life – over time.
“The biggest life lesson I’ve learned through sports is that nothing in life worth having comes easy,” said Ryan. “A good work ethic will take you far and building strong relationships will go a long way.”
Ryan said that he still talks with his parents about the value of hard work in both life and sports, as well as the challenges that come with snowboarding.
“My parents and I talk about how overcoming challenges in snowboarding relates to life, and working hard is important,” said Ryan.
Ryan said that snowboarding offers several compelling reasons for kids to practice and compete out on the hills and slopes – along with many valuable lessons to be learned.
“Snowboarding is so much more than a sport, and there is so much to learn from snowboarding,” said Ryan. “I never thought snowboarding would take me all over the world and allow me to meet tons of awesome people that I will have relationships with the rest of my life.”
To read the full TAKE 5 interview with Ryan, visit PlayPositive.com. And come back next month for another exclusive TAKE 5 interview!
At Liberty Mutual Insurance, we constantly look for ways to celebrate the countless acts of sportsmanship and integrity shown by people every day. We created Play Positive™, powered by Positive Coaching Alliance, as part of this belief to help ensure that our kids experience the best that sports have to offer in environments that promote and display good sportsmanship. We believe kids can learn valuable life lessons when coaches and parents come together to support winning on and off hill.
©2014 Liberty Mutual Insurance Company
