For far too long, recreational programs have put too much emphasis on a traditional model that is not effective for player development and sadly does not allow players to have fun while learning the fundamentals of a sport. A great solution to this problem that encourages five- to seven-year-olds is an approach called Biddy Ball. This article…

Of all American pastimes, bowling is one of the easiest to pursue. Just show up at the neighborhood bowling center, rent the required shoes, use the balls provided, and pay a reasonable fee to bowl as many games as one likes. The game itself--rolling a ball down a long wooden lane to strike club-shaped pins--appeals to all ages and is within the…

In January 2005, AAPAR was born from the American Association for Active Lifestyles and Fitness (AAALF) and the American Association for Leisure and Recreation (AALR), thus providing a home for special-interest subjects that do not fit neatly into the other units of the Alliance. This article includes a brief history of AAPAR with a focus on its…

Unlike traditional high school athletic teams, Unified Sports teams are designed to immerse students with intellectual disabilities in a facet of school culture that has largely eluded them. Nationwide, more than 2,000 schools in 42 states have the teams, where the ideal is for about half the athletes on each team to be students with intellectual…

Selecting competitive sports opportunities for a child is a challenging process. Parents have to make the right choices so that their young athletes will have many years of healthy, happy, active experiences. If parents make the wrong choices, their son or daughter will have, at the very least, a few unhappy hours, and worst-case scenario, could…

Indoor recreational facilities in Fairfax County, Virginia, owe their success to (1) development of comprehensive plans, which take into account site location, community needs, area trends, and financing possibilities, and (2) use of continuous marketing strategies. The centers are self-supporting. Each offers a variety of recreation/sports…

In August and September 2005, two violent hurricanes--Katrina and Rita--hit Louisiana. Hundreds of thousands of residents were relocated to temporary living communities, where most of the economically poor remain today. This state's largest trailer community, "Renaissance Village," was erected almost overnight in a cow pasture in Baker,…

The goal of Costa Rica's Department of Physical Education and Sports is the "utilization of sport, physical education, and recreation as instruments of socialization and contribution to the improved health of Costa Ricans." (JN)

For several years, physical educators in Marion County, Florida, have been actively illustrating their programs to the community they serve. These demonstrations reflect the variety and diversity of the county's physical education programs. The main objectives for these presentations are: (1) to inform the public; (2) to give exposure to the…

Recent attention to the childhood obesity and inactivity epidemics in the United States would seem to bode well for public school physical education. I argue that it is actually a mixed blessing. Its effect is mixed because it presents physical activity as an obligation or duty. This stands in stark contrast to movement in the broader liberal arts…

When applied to campus recreation programs, the concept of enterprise and entrepreneurial activity has proven successful with students as well as accepted by university officials. Service delivery models at three midwestern universities are analyzed. In each case a somewhat autonomous small business enterprise operates within the larger program.…

This book contains descriptions of secondary school physical education programs. The programs described fall into the following categories: (1) career/leadership programs, (2) contract/individualized instruction programs, (3) elective physical education programs, (4) motivational programs, (5) outdoor/environmental programs, (6)…

This article provides an insight into the world of professional play specialists and provides suggestions to parents on how to be more confident about their role in play. Play need not be work for moms and dads, but it should be a family priority that they enjoy and about which the feel just great when they have devoted time and energy to do it.…

This article focuses on a neglected topic in the historical sociology of childhood, namely health education, and explores a neglected theme, namely the gendered character of (re)constructions of childhood. Drawing on primary sources, the article argues that while health education for children played an important role in a broader set of British…

Discusses how, with today's recreational sports landscape broader than ever, sportsplex operators must and can accommodate diverse activities within limited spaces. (EV)