02 Feb HAVING FUN AS A TEAM AND CREATING WELL ROUNDED STUDENT ATHLETES.
You run plays, talk strategies and spend long hours in practice together, it is also essential to create well rounded student athletes off of the court. You work hard and encourage each other. And when it comes to the games, you compete together and hold your heads high, whether you win or lose. But what about the times you want to come together as a team to just have fun and enjoy some camaraderie without the sweat? If you’re looking for some fun activities for your youth sports team, here are some suggestions we hope you’ll love:
Progressive dinners. Remember back in the day, when people actually used to eat at home instead of eating out so much? Here’s a fun spin on that! If you’ve got a few families who are willing to host and make food, that’s all you need. Get together as a team and go house to house for each part of the meal. Have appetizers at one team member’s house, the main course at another home, and wrap it all up with dessert at your final stop. And, as a side note, be prepared with some great conversation topics (like everyone sharing their most embarrassing moment or a game like Say Anything) so everyone can get to know each other better in a more informal setting.
Get out and have fun. If your school or city league has a budget for it, reserve a coach with us and go as a team to have some fun. Take everyone bowling or to the movie, mini golfing, to the local water or amusement park, or to see a professional league play the sport your team enjoys. Whatever you choose to do, it will be fun to hang out in a casual way and do something just because.
Enjoy a little competition. Whether you’re gathered at a team member’s house playing a round of Horse on the driveway, playing some water balloon volleyball, or turning practice into a series of obstacle course challenges, enjoy a little competition among yourselves, just for the fun of it.
Service projects. Yeah, you’ve worked together on and off the court, but what about coming together to work alongside each other in service? There is something unique that happens when you work together to benefit someone else, and the conversations that tend to happen as you work are pretty great, too. These types of experiences will be meaningful in the moment, and they likely won’t be forgotten any time soon, either. And hey, you can always go out for milkshakes once the service project is over.
Old-fashioned fun. There’s a reason the classics are classics. Meet for night games in a big city park. Go ice blocking on a summer night. Get together for an informal BBQ and then have a water balloon fight. Go to your local drugstore and step up to the counter for scooped ice cream. Take pictures. Be goofy. Make a team t-shirt for solidarity.
Doing some of these activities will likely lend a more cohesive feel to the whole team. Besides just sweating and training together, playing together will increase the fun, help you get to know each other better, and provide some great memories for years to come.