What is great about the game

Posted on Shiplake face book page

FROM A RUGBY PARENT:

One of my friends asked "Why do you pay so much money and spend so much time running around for your son to play rugby?" Well I have a confession to make: I don't pay for my son's rugby training or his kit, mouthguard or boots. Or even his hundreds of rugby balls.

So, if I am not paying for rugby, what am I paying for?

- I pay for those moments when my boy becomes so tired he feels like quitting but doesn't..

- I pay for the opportunity that my boy can have and will have to make life-long friendships.

- I pay for the chance that he may have amazing coaches that will teach him that rugby is not just about game plans but about life.

- I pay for my child to learn to be disciplined.

- I pay for my boy to learn to take care of his body.

- I pay for my son to learn to work with others and to be a proud, supportive, kind and respectful team member.

- I pay for my child to learn to deal with disappointment, when he doesn't get that try he hoped for, or dropped the ball despite having practiced a thousand times, but still gets up and is determined to do his BEST next time...

- I pay for my boy to learn to make and accomplish goals.

- I pay for my son to learn that it takes hours and hours and hours and hours of hard work and practice to create a champion, and that success does not happen overnight.

- I pay so that my son can be on the pitch instead of in front of a screen...

I could go on but, to be short, I don't pay for rugby; I pay for the opportunities that rugby provides my child to develop attributes that will serve him well throughout his life, and give him the opportunity to bless the lives of others. From what I have seen for many years, I think it is a great investment!

‪#‎shiplakerugby

I think a lot of Rugby folk get carried away with this "Rugby Maketh A Man" idea.

Frankly I think this is nonsense. Life itself teaches you many of these lessons. Everyone has to learn to cope with disappointments, and the value of working with other people and of being selfless.

You don't have to fork out money to learn that, because on e thing that is for sure that each and every one of us will be met trials and tribulations. Life comes and smacks us all in the face; no one gets a free ride. People I work with and meet in business, many successful, often generous, have no interest nor ever played this great game.

Look at the lives of the poor yet dignified village people of poor nations. They don't have much, yet they show great resilience and tremendous gratitude for the small things in life. Not a rugby, cricket, football pitch in sight.

I prefer to teach my kids life values through life itself. It is a far richer source of lessons, exposing about nuance and things being not black and white.

Sporting success is to be admired, but in all honesty there aren't m,any sports people I find that interesting nor rounded.

I think the thing is, rugby is one way of learning those values but there are so many ways of learning those values and actually there are certain practices which will teach even better values.

If/when I have kids I don't intend to push them to play rugby or any sport in particular, just try lots of different things and encourage them to stick with the things they enjoy the most.