To many sports fans and players, sports is about competition, playing the game well, and winning. But our guest from the United States, Sari Rose, views sports from a different perspective. Sari Rose is the Director of Coaching and Player Development for the North Carolina Youth Soccer Association. Considering there are only three female state directors for the Youth Soccer Association throughout America and 59 male directors, that is an outstanding achievement. Her job is to get children in communities of low socio/economic status more involved in sports, train coaches how to work with children, help people receive their licensure to become coaches, and oversee the Olympic Development Program in North Carolina. Sari Rose, who has traveled to Bahrain and Dhahran, was in Jeddah on her way to Occupied Jerusalem to give lectures on soccer, training coaches, and get more university and school students interested in sports. She held a press conference here to get her message across: sports has many, many benefits to the society and country at large. At Iffat University, Rose met with students and instructors of physical education classes. She spoke about soccer and the benefits of physical activity and gave the instructors many activity ideas. Then they physically went out on the field and played some games. Her program here in Jeddah also included training sessions with the sports club, Jeddah United. Commenting on her experience at Iffat University, Rose said: “There is a basketball and swimming team at Iffat University but there is no soccer team. I met lots of girls and we went out and played some games and just had fun. They really enjoyed it and asked me when I would be coming back! I pointed out to them why sports is really important: it strengthens the heart, prevents heart disease and obesity, and it makes you emotionally feel better too.” Physical education classes are direly lacking in most girls' middle schools across the Kingdom. Furthermore, there is no institute that gives certificates to physical education teachers or adequately trains female coaches. Sport is not just sport, it is a form of physical activity. More and more studies are proving that physical activity can protect against obesity, diabetes, cancer and heart disease — which all plague our society. If our girls learn the importance of exercise from a young age, it will become a habit that will carry on into adulthood. And physically active women make healthier and happier mothers, and women who will be more productive and active in serving their communities. “Sports is not a guy thing or a girl thing. Sports is really a health thing. Millions of dollars are spent on healthcare and hospital costs to treat diseases that are actually preventable with better nutrition, a healthy lifestyle, and regular physical exercise. So, sports can actually save the limited resources of hospitals and reduce the economic drain of the healthcare system,” said Rose. Sports teaches children more than how to score a goal. Children playing sports learn how to get along with others and how to work together with people from different cultures. Sports builds their leadership skills, improves their self-esteem, contributes to their physical and emotional health, and encourages hard work, determination and a sense of responsibility. Sport is used as a tool to decrease emotional tension, anger and violence in children who are having problems. If sports is used correctly, it will positively influence the lives of our kids. What drew Sari Rose to sports in the first place? She grew up with three brothers and no sister. That explains a lot! From a young age she tried out swimming, baseball, soccer and hockey. In high school she developed a passion for soccer and won a university scholarship to play on the soccer team and continue her education. Rose said: “Growing up, some of the most influential people in my life were my sports coaches. I really looked up to them. And I became a coach to help kids, not only in their sports performance but also in their studies, relationships, and lives. It is very rewarding to make a difference in a child's life.”
