Intense menstrual cycles and emotional exhaustion can affect how teens exercise, says Emily Taylor.Jane Lawson thinks a change of focus may be needed
Looking at your article again (March 7, over 1 million girls in the UK lost interest in sports in their teens), it is common for teenagers to have irregular and intense menstrual cycles.It shouldn’t make anyone feel like they should go beyond that, or not listen to their bodies at the time.
I quit sports as a teenager because I couldn’t be as good as I wanted to be, and because (in hindsight) I was emotionally drained of school.After just a few years, I’m starting to get back on my feet with no coaching or persuasion, and I haven’t had a competitive multisport in 20 years.
Everyone should be allowed to take time as they grow and figure out their priorities.The focus should be on why people stop exercising when they are ready.
Talking about girls “dropping out” and “being kicked out” is a problem girls can’t resist.Let all teens learn to listen to themselves without judgment.Ask them to take a step back from the sport and try other things, or just take time out as they grow.Greater emphasis on making it the norm for people to start or restart sports after the school year.
Perhaps competitive sports should address its attitudes toward what coaches see as key strength development in adolescence.I suspect that the sport’s concern about people dropping out of school at a young age has more to do with its fear of lost training opportunities than its focus on personal welfare.Emily Taylor Edinburgh
One of the biggest barriers to girls participating in sports is that a large percentage of it is competitive.If the goal is fitness and physical fitness, then the focus needs to change.Many girls hate colds and have to wear revealing or ugly tracksuits with no privacy in the locker room.Many people prefer cooperative rather than competitive activities.So let’s tackle that and introduce dance, yoga, tai chi, long walks, rock climbing, sailing, and group challenges.Keep those who want to compete.I remember a school trip where the girls all succeeded in a group challenge while the boys were arguing and sulking with each other.”Because,” as one girl put it, “they all want to be bosses.” Jane Lawson London
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Post time: Mar-14-2022