When sports are corrupted at summer camps

The idea of ​​sports and life skills summer camps originated from Western models in the late 19th century, and flourished since the 1990s. But in recent years, this model has become increasingly controversial.

Summer camps always have a lot of physical activities - Photo: ST

The original noble purpose

In 1887, the Camp Timanous summer camp model (Connecticut, 1887, USA) was first established, founded byeducation expert Luther Halsey Gulick. This summer camp combines many sports such as baseball, swimming, canoeing, outdoor activities and collective culture.

From the very beginning, Mr. Gulick emphasizes the principle of "body - mind - spirit" through these summer camp activities.

This model quickly gained popularity. The founder of the modern Olympics, Pierre de Coubertin, strongly advocated the adoption of the summer camp model to promote the sports movement.

“This is a place that promotes fairness, social skills and overall health. Many kids will be hesitant to play sports, through summer camp, they can have a different approach, spark a different interest.”

Sports summer camps at that time were truly places to nurture passion for movement, discovery and enhance independence.

In the 1990s and 2000s, this summer camp model exploded in Asian countries. In the view of many Asian parents, summer camp is a place for their children to grow up and practice many important life skills.

increasingly degenerate

But it is also in East Asia that the atmosphere around summer camp has begun to be distorted, a problem that has been pointed out by Dr. Amanda Visek, a child psychologist at George Washington University.

"Fun is one of the main reasons kids play sports. And then it's also the reason kids get bored, stressed, and scared," says Dr. Visek.

To prove this, Dr. Visek pointed out the degenerated activities at summer camps. These include the militarized training model, forcing children to exercise according to inappropriate rigid discipline; the competitive matches that heavily focus on winning and losing, and the form of creating scorecards and competing between groups...

"Let kids choose sports, don't force them. If you do force them, instead of sending them to a summer camp, you can take them to a sports center, which is more suitable," said Dr. Visek.

There are a number of examples of sports-related problems emerging at summer camps. In the US, a lawsuit over a brain injury at a wrestling camp in Tennessee resulted in a $600,000 settlement.

Meanwhile, a coach in the UK was ordered to pay £300,000 in compensation for forcing children to take part in the “British Bulldog” game - a dangerous game that has been banned in many schools due to its high risk.

In China, the military summer camp model is increasingly flourishing, and there are more and more cases of children being injured and abused.

A survey by Sixthtone found that there are up to 50,000 registered summer camps in China. And since 2018 alone, there have been 180 lawsuits leading to convictions against the organizers.

Many summer camp activities are criticized for pushing children into overly dangerous activities - Photo: ST

The site also exposes a series of problems with summer camps, revolving around sports activities such as:

Lack of risk assessment: Vigorous physical games, obstacle courses, confrontations... if not designed according to age and ability, can easily cause serious collisions or serious injuries.

Outdoor medical issues: Some summer camps in the wilderness do not have good environmental control. Children can get sick from insect bites, fevers, etc., but if medical intervention is not timely, it can easily lead to serious consequences.

Rising cost pressures: To ensure safety, with all the elements of medical supervision, insurance, risk assessment, and coach training, summer camps must invest heavily. This forces them to raise prices and attract parents with achievements, leading to the movement model becoming more efficient and commercial than educational.

Ultimately, the advice is to return summer camps to their original purpose, as the educator and founder of the activity, Mr. Gulick, proposed.

"The best education is not in the classroom, but in the fields, lakes and forests, where boys and girls volunteer to explore activities that help them survive and blend with nature. And the rule is, they must volunteer."

HUY DANG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/khi-the-thao-bi-bien-chat-o-nhung-trai-he-20250706011451796.htm