Developing a strategy for promoting athletic participation at the high school level

This file was last viewed in Adobe Reader 10.0.1More than ever, schools today are being asked to do more for students in the way of physical, mental, social, and emotional development. A simple and easy way to help students develop these areas is to encourage them to participate on a sports team at their schools. A comparative study of athletic participation at Badger High School showed that the participation levels were slightly above the national average but well below the state average. The question of why this was happening was thus further explored. Using a random sampling of students at BHS that reflected their grade, sex and participation status, surveys were distributed to try and determine why students do or do not participate in athletics. The students' parents as well as the coaches at BHS were also asked to participate. It was found that the main motivation for athletic participation at BHS was to improve physical fitness and ability. It was believed that this research would reveal reasons for non-participation such as having low physical abilities, not having friends that participate, or not having enough confidence to try out for a sport in high school. Instead the research showed that students choosing not to participate in sports were choosing to focus on other aspects of school such as participation in clubs and the arts or trying to keep up with school work. This research can be used as the foundation for further discussion to help improve participation levels at Badger High School