Keilone Gordon has been an active participant in sports his entire life. After being a successful athlete in high school and college, Keilone went on to spend some time playing in the NFL. Since then he has dedicated his time to coaching young athletes in little league, football, track, and wrestling. Keilone has also been honored as a keynote speaker at numerous sports related events in his local community. As a coach and keynote speaker, Keilone Gordon hopes to share and pass on the life lessons he has learned through sports that have stayed with him throughout his life journey.

Sports are a great way for kids to stay active, make friends, and have fun. At the same time, sports provide kids with an even greater opportunity to gain important life lessons without even realizing it. Listed below are a few of the skills and life lessons kids will obtain through playing sports that they will take with them as they grow older and face life’s challenging obstacles.

Staying Healthy and Active

Physical fitness and health are some of the most easily recognized values of sports. Participating at practice and at sports games allows kids to stay busy and get off the couch. Engaging in physical activity will improve strength, increase flexibility and cardiovascular endurance, and prevent excessive weight gain.

Development of Social Skills

Sports provide an opportunity for kids to interact with other kids and build essential social skills. Kids will be able to more easily make friends and learn how to cooperate with other people by working as a team. Teamwork is a significant skill children develop that will be largely beneficial when they grow up, go through school, and begin looking for jobs in the real world.

Showing Respect for Opponents

Alongside teamwork comes the importance of showing others respect. Showing respect for opponents is a strong value in every sport that is always taken very seriously. Most children’s sports games end with the kids lining up to shake hands with the opposing team to say “nice job” or “good game”. Win or lose, it is important to remember that everyone is out there sharing the same experience of playing the sport they love.

Learning Commitment and Persistence

Playing a sport requires a certain level of commitment for the individual. Teammates and coaches are relying on you to make it to every game and practice so that the team can build together. Kids will learn the importance of being on time and sticking to a schedule. Another important trait kids develop through sports is persistence. If a child is willing to keep working at a particular skill, overtime they will see themselves improving and gaining noticeable results. They will begin to feel proud at the accomplishments they are making and will want to work more and more to become the best they can be, not just in sports but in their careers and futures with their families.