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Recreational
Sports and
Activities
DINO A. REYES
Instructor
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The Concept of Recreation and Leisure
Activities
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
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At the end of the chapter, the students should be able to:
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describe their motivations when participating in recreation and
leisure activities.
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select a recreation activity they enjoy and relate their feelings in
the activity
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INTRODUCTION
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Physical contests and recreational games have long played a
part in human society. In both team and solo sports, the human
body has been pushed to its limits in the name of improving
athletic performance and to break record upon record. The
ancient Olympic Games are an early example of the contests in
which humans have engaged to showcase physical prowess. In
modern times, sports and games have evolved into a lucrative
and competitive industry, while other leisure activities, such as
card and video games, can be competitive or can just be a way
to unwind or socialize.
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Participation in formal and informal sports and recreation
activities promotes health and well-being for people of all ages.
The presence of recreation and sports in Niagara enriches our
quality of life and helps to boost our economy by attracting local,
provincial, national and international visitors to participate and
spectate. Taking part in recreation and sport activities helps
people to connect with their community and their environment –
to build friendships, leadership and teamwork skills, enjoy being
outdoors, and to gain a sense of purpose, belonging and
community spirit.
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A. Recreational Sports: Definition
Recreational sports are those activities where the primary purpose of the
activity is participation, with the related goals of improved physical fitness,
fun, and social involvement often prominent. Recreational sports are usually
perceived as being less stressful, both physically and mentally, on the
participants. There are lower expectations regarding both performance and
commitment to the sport in the recreational sphere. In theory, there is a
clear demarcation between purely recreational pursuits and competitive
sports, where emphasis will be centered on the achievement of success
and the attainment of physical skills through rigorous training. Competitive
sport involves not only contests, but it also advances as a central tenet that
the athlete or team will continually seek progress and advancement to a
higher level. Professional, international, national, and regional
championships and university competitions are exclusively competitive
activities. In practice, the division between the concepts of recreation and
competition at all other levels is often blurred.
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Recreational sports are the most popular type of athletic activity
undertaken throughout the world. While elite professional leagues
and glamorous international sport festivals are the events on which
the media focuses its attention, for every professional athlete there
are thousands of participants who use the same sport for the
satisfaction of their personal fitness needs. Recreational sport
enthusiasts include individual athletes, such as persons who run,
cycle, or participate in aerobics; this sport category also extends to
those who play a sport as a member of a community-based league,
such as master's (over 40 years) age soccer or mixed (male and
female) slow-pitch baseball.
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Recreational sport is the aspect of overall fitness often promoted by
government health agencies in the larger societal quest for better health
and consequent reductions in the strain on public health care costs.
Recreational sports, at both youth and adult levels, is advanced as a
component of the healthy lifestyle that leads to less incidence of serious
disease (particularly diabetes and cardiovascular diseases associated
with obesity), and greater longevity in the population generally.
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The
z distinction between competitive and recreational sport is more often a matter of
degree, as opposed to the application of a descriptive label. Competitive sport is not
always an elite athletic activity; the attitude of the individual athlete toward the sport is
an important aspect of how to define it. The best examples of this categorization are
found in the mass participation sports such as marathon running and the triathlon,
which are invariably further subdivided into age group classifications. These age group
distinctions, in contrast to the elite, often professional, competitors, are where the
recreational/competitive boundaries are challenged. If a marathoner runner, who has
achieved a four-hour time for the event at age 40, decides that he would like to qualify
for the prestigious Boston Marathon, that runner must improve to the Boston standard
in his age group, 3 hr 15 min. A four-hour marathon time is faster than the approximate
median time of most mass participation marathons (those races with over 5,000
participants); the four-hour runner could take some justifiable pride in that
accomplishment. The reduction of 45 minutes from the previous personal best will
require an improvement of over 1.7 minutes per mile; the winner will conquer the hilly
Boston course in approximately 2 hr 10 min or faster, approximately two-thirds the time
the prospective qualifier must run. There is a huge competitive gap between the winner
and the qualifier; most objective observers would classify the qualifier as a recreational
runner.
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Types of Recreation Activities
Recreation is an activity of leisure, which is an essential element of human
biology and psychology. Recreational activities are often done for
enjoyment, amusement, pleasure or health benefits and are considered to
be fun. Recreation refers to the time spent in an activity one loves to
engage in, with an intent to feel refreshed. It is a break from monotony and
a diversion from the daily routine. It is a positive change from the
stereotypical lifestyle. Recreational activities give enjoyment because while
recreating one engages in something he likes. They are a source of joy and
provide relaxation for one’s mind and body. Recreational activities can be
grouped into two groups: indoor and outdoor activities.
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Firstly, indoor activities are also a part of the recreation programme. Indoor
recreation activities are undertaken on the comfort of one’s home or more
specifically indoor and they are to recreate the mind and soul. For such
indoor recreation activities there are well-established clubs or recreation
centers offer a varied programme of activities throughout the year. Activities
on offer include basketball, swimming, volleyball, chess, table tennis,
bowling, singing, reading, listening to music, watching movies and more of
the same. For example, basketball is the most popular indoor sport and
second most popular team sport after soccer. Basketball has many health
benefits as it demands lot of physical work. There is a quote saying
“Basketball does not build character. It reveals it.”
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Secondly, outdoor sports like the ones mentioned, also provide us with
the means to exercise and hence happen to be one of the best forms of
recreation. Outdoor recreation sport examples include nature walks, river
rafting, cycling, camping, fishing, hiking, adventure park, surfing and
sports. Outdoor recreational activities can range from nature walks to
river rafting. Organized recreational activities are often planned by private
clubs or government organizations. Sports, cultural activities and social
gatherings are some of the organized ones. Clubs and recreation centers
offer a variety of recreational programs for people of different ages and
varied interests.
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C. Characteristics of Recreation
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Recreation occurs during leisure
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Recreation is as different as people are different; it is extremely wide and varied
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Recreation is activity; it is some sort of action as distinguished from rest
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Recreation must be voluntary; it cannot be ordered, imposed, or forced
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Recreation has no single form; it offers a variety of choices with endless possibilities
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Recreation is flexible; it can be organized or unorganized; it can be enjoyed in a group or alone
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Recreation to one individual may be work to another
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Recreation involves an individual's attitude, motive, and incentive
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Recreation may occur or not occur; a specific activity may be recreation for an individual at one time, but not
at another time
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Recreation is necessary in order for an individual to have balanced growth
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Recreation and work are not the same thing; although an individual may be very happy in his job, it is not
possible for that individual's work to be his recreation
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D. Varied Views of Recreation and
Leisure
For some, recreation means the network of public agencies that provide facilities such
as parks, playgrounds, aquatic centers, sports fields, and community centers in
thousands of cities, towns, counties, and park districts today. They may view these
facilities as an outlet for the young or a means of achieving family togetherness or
pursuing interesting hobbies, sports, or social activities or as a place for growth and
development for all ages. For others, recreation may be found in a senior center or
golden age club, a sheltered workshop for people with cognitive disabilities, or a
treatment center for physical rehabilitation. For some, traveling, whether it be by trailer,
motor coach, airplane, train, or cruise ship, is the preferred mode of recreation. The
expansion of the travel and tourism industry has been staggering. Travel clubs have
become increasingly popular, with several airlines built around short trips through
extended travel. Disney has initiated a line of cruise ships that focuses on family and
has extended the idea of travel and tourism yet again.
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E. Motivations for Recreational
Participation
In addition to the varied forms that recreation may take, it also meets a wide
range of individual needs and interests. Although other chapters in this text
describe play motivations and outcomes in fuller detail, they can be summarized
as follows. Many participants take part in recreation as a form of relaxation and
release from work pressures or other tensions. They may be passive spectators
of entertainment provided by television, movies, or other forms of electronic
amusement. Other significant leisure motivations are based on the need to
express creativity, develop hidden talents, enhance physical skills, or pursue
excellence in varied forms of personal expression. For some participants, active,
competitive recreation may offer a channel for releasing frustration and
aggression or for struggling against others or the environment in adventurous,
high-risk pursuits. Others enjoy recreation that is highly social and provides
opportunities for making new friends or cooperating with others in group settings.
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Other individuals take part in leisure activities that involve community service or
that permit them to provide leadership in fraternal or religious organizations.
Still others take part in activities that promote health and physical fitness as a
primary goal. A steadily growing number of participants enjoy participation in
the expanding world of computer-based entertainment and communication,
including CD-ROMs, Internet games, video games, smart phones with
applications, iPods, the Internet, and much more. Others are deeply involved in
forms of culture such as music, drama, dance, literature, and other forms of fi
ne arts. Exploring new environments through travel and tourism or seeking selfdiscovery or personality enrichment through continuing education or various
educational activities represents other important leisure drives
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F. Factors Promoting the Growth of
Recreation
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The following are the factors that help bring about the growth of recreation:
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1. Increase in discretionary time.
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2. Influences of technology.
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3. Public interest in health and fitness.
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4. Commodification of leisure.
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5. Therapeutic recreation service.
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6. New leisure roles for women.
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G. Types of Organized Recreation
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Employee Recreation Programs- They served those who work for companies or
employees by providing recreation as a part of a total personnel benefits package,
linked to other services concerned with employee health and fitness.
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Armed Force Recreation – Each of the major branches of the armed forces operate an
extensive network of recreation facilities and programs.
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Therapeutic Recreation Services- include any type of program designed to meet the
needs of persons with physical or mental disabilities, individuals with poor health,
dependent aging persons, social deviant persons in correctional facilities and similar
special groups.
Activity 1: Case Study
Quilting as Leisure: Why I Quilt
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first-person account of a recreation/leisure activity. As you read the account, think about your recreation activities. Ask yourself
how you see this as leisure and how you don’t see it as leisure. Compare it to what you do for recreation. One of the discoveries you will make in
this book is that leisure is varied and its value or worth is frequently determined by the individual participant.
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I have been sewing for over 50 years. I’ve always enjoyed sewing. There is a great satisfaction from creating something
from a flat piece of fabric. I like how I feel when I take different pieces, colors, and patterns of fabric and organizing them
into something beautiful—and sometimes useful.
My first attempts at quilting were pretty basic, consisting of two pieces of material and sandwiched between them a
piece of batting (cotton wadding for use in quilts) and all of it tied together by yarn at 5 to 6 inch intervals across the
fabric. I didn’t just jump into quilting and spend all of my time doing it. I had seven children to raise so oftentimes quilting
was put aside for days and weeks at a time or done after everyone else had gone to bed. As my children got older and
were less demanding, I found more time to quilt.
All the children have their own families now and I’m able to devote more time to my quilting. I make quilts for children
and grandchildren graduating, new grandchildren, other special occasions, for friends, and sometimes for me! When my
oldest grandson died in an accident I made a quilt for his two brothers and when a granddaughter broke her arm, she
too needed a quilt to help her feel better. Quilting is a way for me to share myself and my love with others. It also makes
me feel good when I visit and see my quilts in my children’s homes.
Why do I quilt? When I quilt I feel happy. Quilting makes me feel good about myself. It’s like a release from other things
going on in my life. It allows me to bring order by organizing groups of fabrics to a structured and planned piece. A big
part of quilting is finding fabric. I enjoy finding fabrics that speak to me through colors, patterns, prints. I can envision
how they will blend together in a quilt. I feel like an artist using fabric and colors creating designs and patterns. I usually
only work on one project at a time, but I have several other projects I’m thinking about and conceptually planning. Some
of these I draw to get a feel for how they will look. You may find different quilt drawings scattered in various rooms of my
home. So, not only am I working with my hands, but I’m keeping my mind agile with the planning and anticipation.
I want my quilts to bring joy to others, to celebrate events, to comfort, and to give beauty. In doing this I feel a sense of
accomplishment, of helping others, and joy!
Questions to Consider
z participate in recreation how are your feelings and motivations similar or
1. When you
different to those described in this case study? Why do you think they might be
different?
2. Select a recreation activity you enjoy and write about it. Ask yourself the following
questions:
a. When did you begin to participate in your recreation activity?
b. How do you feel when you participate in the activity?
c. Why do you participate in the activity?
d. How do you feel when you are done with the activity? Is there any carryover of
feelings to a later time?
Questions for Class Discussion or Essay Examination
1. Read the case study, and then explain what leisure means to you.
2. If motivations are important in the study of leisure, explore some of the reasons
you participate in recreation activities and be prepared to discuss why and how you
are motivated.
3. Review Figure 1.1 and explain the variables that influence decisions about
participation in recreation activities.