Non-starters in the game of life

‘‘This all comes at a time of an alarming rise in obesity, in children as well as adults, and fears of a sedentary digital generation with dextrous thumbs but little affinity for the world beyond the sofa.’’

It was one of those annual rituals many children used to dread: the school crosscountry run. For those of us with barely an athletic bone in our bodies, it was a day of torture from which no amount of hiding in the toilets or pleading notes about ingrowing toenails could spare us.

But for today’s athletically challenged pupils, relief is at hand. At Halswell School in Christchurch, which takes pupils up to year 8, participation in the cross-country race has been made optional, in part to safeguard the self-esteem of those who might be less than brilliant at it. Senior pupils will be strongly encouraged to take part, while those who ‘‘might be embarrassed by their efforts’’ will be able to walk instead, according to principal Bruce Topham.

It is all too tempting to see this as yet another slide down the slippery slope towards a world in which no child will ever have to confront the possibility that he or she might fail at something, or might risk getting hurt – either physically or emotionally – in the process.

The cross-country opt-out follows the decision by Waitakiri Primary, another Christchurch school, to stop playing rugby this year. Back in 2016, Greytown School in Wairarapa decided to stop its pupils from climbing trees on school property for fear it could be fined if one of them was injured. In previous years, schools banned bullrush on the grounds that it was too dangerous, and many school swimming pools have closed.

This all comes at a time of an alarming rise in obesity, in children as well as adults, and fears of a sedentary digital generation with dextrous thumbs but little affinity for the world beyond the sofa. It’s certainly a far cry from the days when New Zealand was renowned for the succession of middle and long-distance athletes it turned out, many of whom were forced by coach Arthur Lydiard to hone their stamina by running the cross-country.

Steve Gurney, a more recent multisport athlete who won the gruelling Coast to Coast race nine times, told Stuff he used to be among those who were intimidated by the cross-country at school. ‘‘I was always last at school sports and had low selfesteem . . . When we had to run the 5km crosscountry at intermediate, I was filled with dread that I would be last.’’

It could be argued that, if he could get over it, then other athletic strugglers can too. But is that really the point? Are we not in danger of running down a blind alley by insisting on today’s children participating in the same sporting activities their predecessors used to?

Regular physical activity, which schools are still obliged to offer as part of the national curriculum – even if the Ministry of Education expresses that obligation in terms of ‘‘well-being’’ and ‘‘learning in health-related and movement contexts’’ – is surely more important than exactly what the activity comprises.

Children should be getting out of the classroom and running around, but if they are playing basketball, touch rugby, or just throwing frisbees around in their break times, we need not exercise our alarmism too much.

Contrary to what some teachers and parents might like to think, children understand better than anyone else who among them excels in what areas. Trust them – they’ll sort it out.