Get off the Computer, Get into Sports: A Guide for Parents with an Average Child

By Gladwyn Skyler

This book chronicles what a concerned and loving mother would do for her children to ensure a balanced upbringing and the opportunity to excel in their field of interest. For almost every event that she attended with her daughter, there is a lesson inserted and a quote. This book serves as a guide for parents who have an average child, who are at wits end trying to figure out how to get that child to excel in something in this information technology age. Though this book talks about school sports mainly in the Malaysian scenario, the experiences and lessons can be applied anywhere in the world. This book was written to assist parents in preparing themselves for a tedious journey that can last between five to ten years as they follow their childs progress in the world of sports.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Partridge Publishing Singapore
• Release date: Jun 6, 2014
• ISBN: 9781482891218

Book preview

GET OFF THE COMPUTER,

GET INTO SPORTS

______________

A GUIDE FOR PARENTS WITH AN AVERAGE CHILD

GLADWYN SKYLER

TRSG-logo_BWFC.psd

© Copyright 2014 Gladwyn Skyler.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written prior permission of the author.

ISBN: 978-1-4828-9121-8 (e)

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

 To order additional copies of this book, contact

Toll Free 800 101 2657 (Singapore) 

Toll Free 1 800 81 7340 (Malaysia)

[e-mail]

www.partridgepublishing.com/singapore

CONTENTS

Foreword

Dedication

Special Dedication

Terminology

Preface

Chapter 1 Explore The Passion, Support Your Child

The Beginning

Getting Started

Eleven Points To Consider

Chapter 1: Summary

Chapter 2 Diary Of The Journey

Year 2008

Year 2009

Year 2010

Year 2011

Year 2012

Year 2013

Chapter 2: Summary

Chapter 3 Last Thoughts

Conclusion

Appendix 1 About Archery

Appendix 2 Ahmad Amiruddin Achievements

Appendix 3 Nadiah’s Achievements

FOREWORD

Major General (R) Dato’ Shahruddin Mohamad Ali

(Malaysian Athlete to the ROME OLYMPICS 1964)

I am honored to be invited to pen this forward. I read with amazement at what a concern and loving mother would do for her children to ensure a balance upbringing and the opportunity to excel in their field of interest.

Dr. Adlina Suleiman is my niece and I have known her to be a dedicated person who was attuned to her academic pursuit. Her strict father, my late brother played rugby during his younger days and encouraged my niece to pursue athletics in school. I am not sure how far she went in that sport but I am impressed with her willingness to assist her children in excelling in the sport of their choice.

I wonder how I would have fared if my mother had the same vision. She was a firm believer that every child will have his own destiny. Thus, she showered me with lots of love, the only thing she had then. I grew up during difficult times of the post war years. Fresh in my mind somehow was the happy years growing up in Beranang, a small village, amidst paddy fields, rivers, orchards and rubber plantations. Everybody was related and ever helpful. Fishing and hunting were my past time. I learned to be tough and independent and somewhat adventurous much to my mother’s consternation at times.

It was only when I joined the Royal Military College that I got involved in sports. With advice and motivation from teachers and military staff, I began to focus on athletics and boxing. Thanks to my tough early background, I literally won every event in school, state and national level. It culminated in representing Malaysia in the South East Asia Peninsular Games, The Asian Games and The Rome Olympics. The final honor was my induction into Malaysian Olympic Council Hall of Fame 52 years later.

In the competitive scenario today and with many distractions from activities of the cyber world, a youngster may not be able to focus and achieve excellence without parental backing, guidance and investments. To top it, the modern day child particularly from the town and cities are over protected and denied the opportunity to develop on their own to be independent and street wise.

This book provides an insight to what the present day parents had to consider based on a family’s experience having to bring up children of different character, ability and interest and plan their life outside the school curriculum. Whilst some children are born with talent and excel in a specific field, others with the right attitude can be also be achievers as long as they believe they can and enjoy facing the challenges.

Dr. Adlina has provided insight to specific needs of her children and she is more than happy to share her thoughts and experience with other parents. By doing so she has fulfilled her desire to do her part and contribute towards the development of youngsters to excel and be worthy champion for the country and perhaps in the world.

I would like to end this foreword by wishing the very best to my grand nephews and nieces. Kids, just Go For It!. As long as you are standing and willing, you stand a chance to succeed.

FOREWORD

Coach Amran Hamidi (Selangor Sports

Council Youth Archery Coach)

I first met Dr Adina in 2007 when she came to my training camp at the Shah Alam Sports School to enquire about her older daughter’s keenness to take up archery. At that time I was coaching the young children, future archers of the Selangor State. Atifah was initially interested in archery but somehow she lost the interest after a few weeks in training. I think it was the stretching exercises before using the bow that made her give up.

I lost touch with Dr Adlina until 2008 when she brought Nadiah over to see if she wanted to take up archery. From the very beginning I saw that she had the `talent’ by the way she held the bow and the ease of conforming to my instructions. However, Nadiah was a bit languid and dreamy. She needed a lot of pushing by her mother to get her to attend training. Even when she came for training, she never stayed around for a whole day preferring to return home