In their early teens, girls drop out of sports six times more than boys. Young girls feel the social pressures of their appearance and instead of using sports to help cope with it, they stop playing. Sports are great for keeping people healthy, happy, and active. Playing sports can help girls curve those body image issues and build self-esteem as they head into high school which can be the hardest time socially in their life.
Girl’s hockey is on the rise around the world. What better way to conquer these issues than to keep young girls involved in hockey through their teens. A team sport such as hockey allows girls to make strong friendship bonds that can be rather empowering. During those tough social times of high school, it helps if young ladies have their team to help them through it.
It is no secret that hockey keeps you active. It uses all sorts of muscles you do not normally use and definitely gets the heart rate up. Being active has been proven to make you happier. Keeping girls in hockey throughout their teens should be essential as the key to life is to simply be happy. Once you are on the ice nothing else matters, just you chasing the puck and making things happen out there. Giving young ladies a place to escape for an hour or two a day can be extremely beneficial to their mental health.
Lastly, hockey can help you live a healthy lifestyle in more ways than one. You are staying active when you are playing hockey, and eating a good meal before your game or practice is crucial for performance. This encourages young ladies to eat a good substantial meal free of guilt. Girls will start to eat to be healthy, rather than to be skinny.
Next time your daughter says she doesn’t want to play hockey anymore, ensure she truly evaluates that decision. Try changing the hockey environment she is in before allowing her to quit altogether, because there are far more pros than cons to playing hockey throughout your teenage years.
