Q. I have noticed that many of our students are not really interested in conventional sports. What alternatives are feasible in schools?

A. The Times Education Supplement in England recently looked at this issue and wrote an interesting article that might have some applicability to Ireland. So you might be interested in considering the suggestions below - some of which might be motivating for children not interested in mainstream sports.

Catch the Spirit
Article from the TES which looks at alternatives to traditional competitive sports.

Ultimate Frisbee
Good introduction to the sport which has always had an 'alternative' image. Ultimate in 10 simple rules is a good place to start.

Pétanque
Very simple game involving a target and trying to get metal balls as close to it as possible. Also known as Boules. The link above also contains a useful section on teaching Pétanque to beginners (PDF)

If you have other suggestions that can help our readers let us know.

Therese contacted us with teh following: Golf as alternative sports. Progressive program levels can be set up with the school pe curriculum or afterschool for a nominal fee. please visit www.thefirstteeireland.org  for more details.

Vinny contacted us with the following - Wrestling: Its a great sport for kids and also fulfills a sensory need for special needs kids (particularly A.S.D)  

Jan contacted us with the following - In our (boys) school skipping (with skipping ropes) has become very popular since we had a skipping demonstration at the end of last year.

Sharon contacted us with the following - Gaming has become really popular amongst students in our school and they are facinated by the players at the World Cyber Games.

Well, we did a bit of digging and found this American website which goes into some workouts for skipping. It is pretty serious but might give you some ideas: Buddy Lee's Hyperperformance Jump Rope Training Programmes