Please Support a DMS Soccer Program

Why does Dunmore need another sports team?

Most school systems start from the bottom at the recreation leagues, develop to middle school and Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), and by the time children reach high school, they are ready to compete at a high level. A middle school program would allow children to develop skills and companionships that feed directly into the High School team, allowing for less of a learning curve and a greater possibility of a winning season.
More than 18 million children participate in soccer leagues and programs each year, making it the most popular and fastest-growing youth sport in the United States today, according to the United States Youth Soccer Association (USYSA).
Why is it so popular?
1. It's easy to learn.
2. It doesn't discriminate. Boys and girls of all shapes and sizes can play.
3. It's an excellent form of exercise. Its continuous action helps kids build stamina, strengthen their heart and muscles, and develop coordination. Soccer keeps kids fit and trim -- an important benefit now that one in every five children in America is overweight.

The benefits of sport participation in general are well documented. Numerous authors and organizations have cited the potential benefits of participation in sport and physical activity programs (e.g., American Academy of Pediatrics, 2001; Darst & Pangrazi, 2002; Seefeldt & Vogel, 1986; Siedentop, 2001). A representative list of such benefits, developed by the World Health Organization (1998) includes the following:
* Improvement of motor skills and physical fitness;
* Enhancement of normal physical and social growth and maturation;
* Improvement of socialization, self-esteem, self-perception and psychological well-being; and
* Establishment of a basis for a healthy lifestyle and lifelong commitment to physical activity.

In addition, the Centers for Disease Control (2002) lists the following benefits of physical activity, specifically for middle school students:

* Helps build and maintain healthy bones, muscles, and joints;
* Helps control weight, build lean muscle, and reduce fat;
* Prevents or delays the development of high blood pressure and helps reduce blood pressure on some adolescents with hypertension;
* Appears to reduce depression and anxiety, improve mood, and enhance the ability to perform daily tasks throughout the lifespan;
* May contribute to a physically active lifestyle and may continue into adulthood.

Please forward this Dunmore Residents to support. You do not need to have a child in the middle school to sign this petition. Every signature is important. Thank you.