Expressing the Sense of the House of Representatives that a National Youth Sports Week Should Be Established
EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES THAT A NATIONAL YOUTH SPORTS WEEK SHOULD BE ESTABLISHED
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Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, H. Res. 826, offered by the distinguished gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. McIntyre), would express the sense of the House that a National Youth Sports Week should be established.
Because children are our country's most valuable resource, it is important that we do all we can to provide them with positive learning experiences, quality role models, and all the enjoyment that comes with participating in organized sports.
Statistics show that approximately 42 million kids play youth sports each year. Children that partake in these activities tend to have better personal skills, lead healthier lives, and are more successful in school. The competitive spirit and character-building camaraderie that sports provide are essential for teaching our children to follow their dreams while working with others to build lasting relationships.
It is important that we all do our part to encourage our children to embrace the experience of teamwork; and for that reason, I urge all Members to come together to support H. Res. 826.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
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Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I can share many of the concerns and feelings that my colleague from across the aisle has expressed. When we were growing up, we didn't need a lot of organized sportsto keep us busy, it did not seem. There were plenty of activities in the summer to keep us active; and when we were in school during the year, there were activities to keep us active.
But nowadays it seems it is very difficult to keep children active in sports-related activities unless those are around organized activities. As the grandparent of two who are involved in lots of activities themselves, I see very much the benefits to them from being involved in baseball and in basketball and in Kung Fu and other things that teach them skills that will be useful to them all their lives, including team-building skills.
It is very important, I think, that we keep our young people active and that we do all that we can to help them fight against the trends toward obesity that we are seeing in our culture and the trends toward inactivity, with children being drawn to watching television and playing on computers instead of getting outside and being involved in great activities that could help them in all manners of their lives.
So I very much support this resolution, and I urge all Members to support the adoption of H. Res. 826.
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