MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- Raising children can be pricey; food, clothing, toys, games, doctor fees, dentist bills and extracurricular activity costs may be downright overwhelming at times. Add that stress with those that come with being a service member, or drill instructor in particular, and one might have quite the mess on their hands.
That’s why Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego’s Marine Corps Community Services Youth Sports Program offers military families free trials to many sports available on base before parents have to commit time and money.
Thirty-seven kids from age four to 14 got their first taste of tennis during a free, one-day clinic at the Andy Bower Courts here, June 18.
“These free clinics give the kids a chance to sample different sports in a stress-free environment so they can really find out if they like something before committing,” said Mary Young, MCCS special events coordinator. “The sports professionals we have help identify whether or not a child is physically or mentally ready to play a sport in a competitive environment.”
Letting children experience things first hand is the best way for them to figure out if they like something.
“Kids learn by doing, by actually getting a chance to try something,” said Karen Ronney, San Diego Hall of Champions sports director for tennis. “They don’t like hard, they don’t like drills and they don’t like challenges; so you call something challenging something tricky instead, call a drill a game, and all of a sudden, they want to keep playing.”
It is best to teach children to enjoy physical activities and being active at early ages.
“If children don’t learn this before they are around age 10 or young teens, then it will make it really difficult for them to be healthy adults later on,” said Ronney, who coached the clinic. “This program is changing the way kids learn about sports and exercise; they are learning that it is fun and that they can be successful by starting small, accomplishing easy goals and working from there.”
The Youth Sports Program here doesn’t only give military parents a way to be efficient with their money, it also makes watching their children play more accessible than ever, said Young.
“The kids used to play their sports in Murphy Canyon, so the drill instructors would never get to see their child,” Young said. “We started the program back in 2007 so drill instructors could see their children play right here on the depot; you should see those kids’ faces when their daddy comes¬¬- they get all excited, it’s great!”
It benefits the children just as much as it benefits the parents, Young said.
“Because military children are moving around all the time, youth sports programs offer them something that remains consistent,” Young said. “That something is a solid sports program, great coaches, teambuilding and teammates who are also military kids and a solid community for them to be a part of.”
Although the YSP’s tennis clinic is over, MCCS offers many other opportunities and resources for military children to enjoy and their parents to take advantage of throughout the year.
For more information on MCCS programs and events, or to enroll your child in a sport club, visit www.mccsmcrd.com or call Mary Young at (619) 725-6384.