Courage. It comes in many forms. When I was growing up, I thought that being brave meant that you had no fear. That you weren’t scared of anything. Like my Dad. I thought he was never afraid. I thought having courage actually meant the absence of fear.

Obviously, as I grew up, I discovered that my Dad at times, was afraid. I discovered that, like the rest of humanity, he wasn’t immune to fear. But to my absolute delight, I also discovered that this is where true courage actually comes from. I discovered that courage is not the absence of fear, but rather bravery in the face of that fear.
There are many times in my life I have had to choose between courage and fear. As a child, many of these moments and opportunities for me to choose to be courageous occurred on the sporting field. The lessons
I learned on the rugby league ground and the cricket pitch are lessons that have carried me forwards throughout my life. I was so very privileged to be able play sport as a child and I love it when I see any kids out doing the same.
As an adult, one of my great blessings is to be a part of the Tamborine Mountain cricket club. It is with great joy that I get to watch kids at the club overcome their fears weekly and grow tremendously both in their skill level on the field, and, most importantly, in their confidence off the field.
Playing team sport is a wonderful thing. It is a great teacher. Not only do we learn to develop courage and grit and resilience, there is a massive body of evidence that playing a team sport makes tremendous differences to many aspects of a child’s life. It is interesting that most of the studies do not highlight the improvements in physical skill levels and exercise tolerance as the major impacts of team sports. These things, while definitely occurring and being of some importance are not seen by many researchers as the major benefits of playing team sport. Rather, the focus is often placed on the psychological and social benefits.
Participation in team sport has been shown to teach maturity and resilience. It teaches how to bounce back from disappointment and enhances our ability to cope with unpleasant experiences, such as losing. It helps children to develop patience and understanding, and there are many proven links between playing sport and an increase in childhood self-esteem. Being part of a team helps children to develop empathy and cooperation and it gives a great sense of belonging.
The sporting victories and losses we experience, the friendships we develop, and the lessons we learn on the sporting field stay with us forever. Having the chance to be part of a sporting team and enjoying all the physical, mental, emotional and social benefits that comes with it is a gift that every child deserves to experience.
We have some amazing sporting clubs on the Mountain, and I would encourage you all to gently guide your children to play a team sport. Get them to step out, take a risk and push out of their comfort zone. I guarantee it is worth it and the research shows that the benefits last a lifetime.
Neil Bell