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With a summer full of sporting events, such as Euro 2012, the London Olympics and Wimbledon’s own tennis tournament, sports fans around Britain will be spoilt for choice. Yet if sitting around on the sofa watching other people play sport leaves you feeling unsatisfied then there is an alternative – get out and get involved yourself! Whether you attend events in person, join a local sports club or do something a little more ambitious such as participate in competitions or travel overseas, this summer is the time to start getting to grips with sport.
Organise Themed Events
With so many sporting events taking place this year now is a great time to try and engineer some community spirit and take part in fun, local events. And if your area is lacking, why not organise a themed event yourself? Perhaps a Tennis party scheduled during the Wimbledon final would do the trick – with strawberries and cream, Robinson’s barley water and Pimm’s summer cups on offer to entice people along. Set up an impromptu tennis court, or establish a small competition to make the most of the summer sunshine and people’s fleeting enthusiasm for the game.
Summer Camps
If you want to get your kids outdoors and enjoying the summer weather, whilst also staying active and honing their sports skills, then why not look for summer programs to get the best of the holidays. Resorts such as Tignes high up in the French Alps organised sports camps for enthusiastic kids and teens at all levels of experience and expertise. Whether they prefer to play football, golf, badminton or rugby, there are dedicated teachers on hand to help them improve and stay fit. And when they are not participating in expert-led training sessions or competing in tournaments and competitions there are plenty of activities and diversions to keep them occupied, such as swimming, adventure walks and excursions to historic towns. And if your child prefers something a little more rugged and tough, there’s always adventure camp in places such as France, where rock climbing, kayaking, paragliding and white water rafting are all on the menu.
Look Out for Sports Clubs
Most areas now have plenty of amateur sports clubs that are always happy to on new members, even if they are not the most talented! So there is really no reason to watch from the sidelines when your village green hosts its weekly cricket game on a Sunday – just go over and ask if you can help out in any way. Similarly, you can easily start up your own sports club with a few mates – five-a-side football is perhaps the best way to join a league, as you only need four other people, games are short and swift, and pitches exist in pretty much every town in the country.
Volunteer
With so many sporting events on offer in Britain this summer now if the time to roll up your sleeves and volunteer for the good of the community. Even if you do something as basic as handing out water to runners on the sidelines during a marathon event, or help organise passing the Olympic flame from community to community, you will feel like you are fully involved in momentous events that you will always remember. If you cannot get to London to directly participate, you can always volunteer at regional events, such as public screenings of marquee finals like the Olympic relay or Wimbledon men’s finals.
John is a travel writer who has written about adventure camp holidays the most amazing regions of France, Italy and Spain.
Image Courtesy: Microsoft
