Preventing obesity, redux

We're a little over half way through with the 8th summer of Summer Sports at Trinity Lime Rock, the enterprise that sparked this blog, so it's probably reasonable to provide some updates and commentary at this point.

First off, a comment about why we have Summer Sports at Trinity.  Although we've received favorable comments about how we're fighting back against organized youth sports that have violated the Sunday morning turf, it's not really what the program is about.  Sure, there's an element of that, but mostly that's not it.

Here's one thing that is:  lack of physical activity for kids today.  This article, from the Well blog in the New York Times, provides some statistics about even so mundane an activity as walking or biking to school, and the shocking infrequency with which it happens today.

So, here's one reason for Summer Sports at Trinity Lime Rock: we offer kids physical activity at least one day a week all summer long.  (Honestly, we also offer physical activity for the adults who participate, coaching, helping out, chaperoning, and so forth, but let's keep that our little secret, shall we?  We don't need to tell the adults that they're getting something out of this too.)

Even if your parish cannot mount a competitive soccer team, you can offer physical activity to kids.  That's worth a lot, a whole lot. 

Cholestrol and Kids

Well, we're not pediatricians or scientists, but we do know a thing or two about getting kids into the habit of regular, vigorous physical exercise.

No, we're not the athletic director of a school. We run a soccer program for kids at a CHURCH!

And, we are very happy to welcome kids as young as four years old.

As the New York Times (and lots of other media as well) have pointed out recently, it's an important thing to do. Here's a permalink to the: Times editorial. Not surprisingly, the Times recommends that the schools take responsibility for this.

But, why leave this important mission to the schools? Churches -- at least some churches -- can actually do it just as well or even better. Can yours?