Champions for Life: What Dance & Running Teaches Kids

TRIATHLON/RUNNING

Ani de Leon-Brown
Triathlon coach and Ironkids race director

Stay focused
From day-one training to race day, a triathlon challenges an athlete’s threshold, says Ani de Leon-Brown. For a kid-triathlete, this sort of mental conditioning applies to where it counts: the classroom. “Studies have shown that physical activity helps kids perform better in academic subjects, as it improves concentration,” she says.

Feel the thrill of competition
Athletes say there’s a rush unlike any other when one conquers a triathlon. Tri-training encourages a child’s emotional and social development as he gets to experience the highs of finishing a race, says de Leon-Brown.

Sunny outlook
Competing in a triathlon helps kids develop a love for the outdoors as they take to the waters to swim and the terrain to run and bike, says de Leon-Brown. In addition, its physical requirements “decreases anxiety, reduces depression, and improves mood and outlook in children,” stresses running-legend-turned-coach Uta Pippig.

Builds self-esteem
Finishing a triathlon is anything but easy, according to de Leon-Brown. When a child undergoes tri-training and eventually races, a strong sense of fulfillment forms within. When crossing the finish line, his confidence inevitably rises.

Push yourself
Athletes of this sport compete both against themselves and the conditions of the sport’smulti-events (running, biking, and swimming). Tri-kids learn how to adapt easily and power through certain situations as they tackle obstacles of the different courses, says de Leon-Brown.

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BALLET

Patricia del Rosario
Teacher and resident ballet coach at Explorations Preschool

Practice makes perfect
Discipline is ballet’s currency and there are no shortcuts if you want to excel in it. “You have to keep training to excel in it and be able to execute certain steps [flawlessly],” stresses Patricia del Rosario.

A time for everything
For upcoming recitals, del Rosario says ballet rehearsals build a sense of self-regulation in a routine setting.

Know and show courtesy
Just like in martial arts, ballet dancers bow to teachers and to one another after every class, which is called a reverence or curtsy. “This creates an atmosphere of respect for the teacher and classmates as well,” says del Rosario.

One word, various translations
Ballet also opens the idea of multiple languages to kids. “All ballet steps are in French, so learning them adds to a child’s existing language skills,” says Del Rosario.

All-around thinker
When performing with a group, the pliés, cabrioles, and all other ballet moves demand synchronization and precision. “Ballet dancers have to check if their timing is right, if they’re properly aligned with the rest of the dancers, etc.,” says del Rosario.

Give your kids a headstart this summer -- browse our directory of summer classes for ballet and dance.

Photos by Dairy Darilag (Patricia del Rosario), and Dix Perez (Ani de Leon-Brown, courtesy of Runner's World)