Swinging on a swing

What the heck is this essay about? Where am I going with this one? What does this have to do with youth or high school sports, or sports injury prevention? Glad I asked!

For those of you who have not had the pleasure of swinging on a swing, and even for those who have, I present an essay on the “Zen” of swinging.

Remember that feeling when you get to the apex of the swing and seem to be floating? The risk involved at that exact moment, seemingly suspended in mid air, and the drop after that was so cool. There is the exhilarating feeling at that pinnacle of height that gave you a mental and physical adrenaline rush. It made the whole swinging experience awesome. Well, the journey to that apex and the ensuing feelings were quite revealing and lots of fun.

A long time ago when my children were little we used to go the playground often. Our children would meet new kids, interact, and play for an hour or so, or until tired. The social aspect of this time was intriguing to say the least. My wonderful daughter Molly would go up to other kids and simply ask them: “Would you like to be my friend?” Clayton, would find another kid and they would just horse around and play. Kids chased each other and laughed while having a really good time being kids.

Sometimes, a child would trip, or fall or a problem would ensue between a couple of kids, but, for the most part the children would handle all the issues themselves. If it got to rough a parent would intervene, but mostly the children learned all on their own to play socialize and learn life skills by themselves without any input from adults.

But the swing was a little different. Because our kids were little they would need a little help to get started. Sometimes, we would hold onto the swing and push the child and the seat forward and run right through the push and out the other side. Great fun.

But what I want to talk about today was the feeling the kids had doing this. A constant refrain, of “more please”, “Higher please” could be heard each and every time they were swinging. We would watch the children trying to compete with the child next to them to see who could go the highest.

They learned to kick their feet and pull on the chains in unison all on their own. You could see their faces as they got high higher and higher on each successful pass.  They loved the risk and reward. The enjoyed pushing the envelope of their ability and fun. Children figured out their own boundaries. It was exhilarating to watch them master this event.

Of course being kids, you had to sometimes tell them that was “high enough” or to not jump off the swing when they were too far back in the pendulum or too far forward.

You could watch their faces as they learned the feeling of accomplishment and gratification while they were swinging. It was a great fun workout.

Swinging on a swing. What a great metaphor for their lives. Give them a little help, keep them safe, and let them learn and grow at their own speed. Watch them push their abilities, all the while learning how to cope and adjust in a safe healthy environment. Just like sports, and all activities should be encouraged at their own pace, on their own path, what fun it was!

 They got exercise in a fun and strengthening environment. They learned balance, co ordination and enjoyed some friendly competition. Children  learned to push their boundaries and limits.

It seemed like so much fun that it brought back memories of when I used to swing.  So, one day, my wife and I got on the swings, and had a blast.

 Maybe you should too!