Shaping Future Champions: A Q&A with Dame Valerie Adams on the role of sports in children’s lives

These include developing physical skills, making friends, getting exercise and learning teamwork. Having experienced the transformative power of sports herself, Dame Valerie shares her perspective on why playing sport is important for our tamariki and the life-long benefits it can have.

According to a 2017 report from Sport New Zealand on the importance of play, sport and play are key to the wellbeing of young New Zealanders and vital in ensuring they develop a lifelong love of community sport and physical activity. Whether at home, school or in the community, play is crucial to a child’s physical, cognitive, social, emotional, and spiritual development¹.

Data from Sports New Zealand shows that participation in sport and active recreation, peaks between the ages of 12 to 14. This is followed by a significant drop in participation between the ages of 12 – 14 and 15 – 17, as children's lives get busier with schoolwork and other hobbies². 

A strong emphasis on winning and competitiveness in sports can also often overshadow children’s enjoyment, leading to decreased participation and impacting their overall well-being³. Balancing competition and enjoyment from simply taking part is crucial for sustaining youth engagement in sports⁴. Participation in sports not only promotes physical health but also equips children with important skills like teamwork, leadership, and communication. These benefits outweigh the competitive outcomes, emphasising the importance of engagement in supportive and well-structured sports environments⁵. 

As one of the all-time greats of New Zealand athletics, we sought Dame Valerie Adams’ view on the importance of childhood sport. 

Participating in sports during my school years served as an escape for me. Given my height, sport was a realm where I felt ‘normal’ and it offered a sense of belonging. From a young age, I was incredibly driven and highly competitive. Looking back, these attributes played a significant role in my journey to the sports field.

I am a strong believer in the importance of playing sport from an early age. For me, survival was practically synonymous with engaging in sports, whether it was team sport like basketball, or more individual like athletics. Playing sports and staying active really helped me through my early years, particularly when dealing with the trauma of losing my mum. Sport has been a huge part of my life and I hope it becomes just as significant in my children’s lives and for other young people in Aotearoa.  

In addition to being a great form of fitness and enjoyment, I believe sport helps instill values like teamwork, fair play, resilience, and discipline. Sport also serves as a good environment for learning how to handle both victory and defeat, with grace and humility.  

For many people, including myself, sport is a great stress reliever. In my experience, sport helped boost my own self-esteem and helped me deal with anxiety. Even simple activities like a child watching their mum workout to a YouTube video at home can make a lasting impression. One of my favourite activities is putting on a yoga video and seeing my kids get involved in the yoga moves – too cute!  

In my experience, sport plays an important role in uniting people. I fondly recall living next to a park in Māngere where a Samoan family would set up a volleyball net every evening. The entire community would gravitate towards the net, playing together as a family, as whānau, and as a community. Despite the intense competition, it was an opportunity for everyone to come together. Traditions like this continue today, with parents and children coming together in local parks, to not only play sport but also get to know their community. Experiences like this are so important.

The importance of female role models in sport cannot be overstated, especially given the high numbers of young girls dropping out of sport compared to boys. Growing up, I didn’t have many sporting role models, but I was lucky to be surrounded by strong female figures including my mother. I admired New Zealand sports stars like Bernice Mene and Beatrice Faumuina, who showcased great strength in their respective fields. Back then, strong female sporting figures were not as prominent as they are today. We are fortunate now to have numerous incredible women performing outstandingly on the world stage. As sportspeople in this country, we all have a responsibility to inspire the next generation and find ways to keep young females active in sport.

Attending the World Youth Championships at the age of 14 positively impacted me as it opened my eyes to what athletics could offer, and what it entailed. Travelling to Poland at that young age was unbelievable – a girl from Māngere all the way in Poland!

The most impactful moment was when I received my first pair of Nike shoes from my PE teacher. The kindness shown by those who saw potential in me as a youngster, even when I didn’t see it in myself, had a huge impact. I encourage those who can help others to do so, because you may not realise the impact you could have on someone’s life. 

My advice to our tamariki and rangatahi who are aspiring athletes, would be to pursue what you genuinely love. If you’re passionate about your chosen sport, that’s half the battle. It’s also equally important to be realistic about your journey. Set achievable goals and checkpoints along the way for self-evaluation. Be honest about your objectives and your path towards them. Don’t let the journey overwhelm you. Instead, embrace and enjoy it, as a career in sport doesn’t last forever!

I would encourage children in Aotearoa to give sport a try. If you can participate, do it. Parents can play a significant role too. If possible, take your kid(s) to the park for a kick around with a ball, or even a walk. It doesn’t have to involve expensive gear. There’s a sport for everyone, the important thing is to find something you love - and give it a go.