When you think of people who are the best in their field, what has it taken to get to that point? Hard work? Definitely. Hours of practice? Yep. Knowing the basics and building knowledge from there? For sure. Fun?…..
The idea of fun takes many forms, and I am by no means saying that anyone at the top of their field has not had fun along the way by performing to the best of their ability.
However, by being more intentional about including fun training practices and techniques by altering the traditional view of performance, we can create a different culture around achievement at the top level. For an example of this, take a look at the Norwegian model for their Winter Olympic team and sport development within the country:
“We go abroad as a big team that wants to have fun, and we should be even better friends when we come back home than when we leave Norway,”
~Tore Ovrebo, the Norwegian Olympic Committee’s director of elite sports
This philosophy created relaxed, happy athletes ready to perform to their best, and in doing so dominated the recent Winter Olympics in South Korea In Norway the focus on fun starts with all the kids.
Obviously, at Performance Camp we are not an Olympic team. But we can use this philosophy and the same guiding principles we use with our camps of all ages to create an engaging, educational environment that builds the foundational movements and training techniques required to perform in fun ways.
Time spent with a Strength and Conditioning coach builds confidence and techniques in movements that will be required should any individuals wish to pursue sport as a career or at a high level, such as dynamic warm-ups, strength building exercises and conditioning protocols. Meanwhile, our Physical Literacy leaders lead fun games and activities to keep energy levels up and build cohesion within the group.
To paraphrase Tore Ovrebo, we are one big team that wants to have fun and leave PISE better friends than when we arrived.
~Chris Wright is Physical Literacy Coordinator at PISE and proud father of a beautiful, little girl. He is in charge of all of the fabulous kids programs, summer camps, teacher mentorship and much more.
