A bunny, small enough to nestle in a cereal bowl, has recently started hanging out in my backyard. Now and again, it nibbles a plant or lies in the sun. Mostly, it explores the limits of movement, zooming, darting, feinting, and trundling through bushes. Once, I saw it corner so hard that it sprayed mulch in a giant, messy arc. A human kid who did that would almost certainly be called inside to clean up. But I haven’t seen the adults in this bunny’s life in weeks; the baby has carte blanche. If only more of the kids I know could be so lucky.

Wild animals are the best movers on the planet, and little ones spend much of their time frolicking, fighting, leaping, and climbing. From birth, human children share animals’ potential for wild movement; left to their own devices, they would presumably tumble about like puppies. But more and more, they do nothing of the sort.

This is due in part to the human trend toward self-domestication, and also to the structure of modern society. The World Health Organization says that 81 percent of adolescents worldwide do not get enough physical activity, noting that rates of sedentary behavior in young people tend to rise as their country develops economically. In some American cities, the Trust for Public Land says, as many as two-thirds of children lack access to the kinds of nearby parks that would encourage free play. And a report by the Aspen Institute’s Project Play initiative, a national program aimed at increasing youth-sports participation, concluded that compared with other activities, such as organized sports, “free play is all but a thing of the past.”

Some kids lack access to woods, fields, and other open spaces where they might romp free. Some have parents who forbid that brand of tomfoolery. In the United States, many parents habitually tamp down on horseplay out of fear of injury to their children (or their furniture)—or because social norms dictate that they get their squiggly kids unsquiggled and into waiting rooms, subways, stores, airplanes, and restaurants, where children are expected to “behave.” That impulse, however, risks reinforcing the notion that sedentariness is preferable at a time in a kid’s life when they really do need to move.

Read: A classic childhood pastime is fading

Turn over almost any rock in the stream of health research, and you’ll find warnings about the dire consequences of idleness, as well as abundant reasons for children to explore free movement. Children who move have healthier bones, muscles, and joints, and lower their future risk of obesity and chronic disease. Research has found that active kids develop superior cognitive skills, get better grades, and are more likely to stay on task than kids who are less active. In a systematic review of studies, researchers found that active children are more likely to report feelings of well-being. And a study published in The Lancet that examined the prevalence of adolescent depression among English youth suggested that increased sedentary behavior in adolescence could affect a person’s mental health into adulthood.

Childhood might be a particularly costly time to not move, because this is when developing brains prune unused potential. “One extreme view” of this neurological dwindling “would be that you start out wired up for every possible contingency,” the Harvard neuroscientist Jeff Lichtman said in an article in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences—but as you age, unused connections in the brain get permanently disconnected through a process known as synaptic pruning, leaving you with “a narrower nervous system.” We’re used to the idea that young, plastic brains have an easy time learning to speak Mandarin or play piano; this is also true of learning how to do backflips, balance on a slackline, or throw a fastball.

Parents go to great lengths to keep kids safe; it’s the core of the job. But restricting kids from encountering tricky movement problems, such as racing at full speed down a rocky slope or climbing high in a tree, can exact a toll. As Marcus Elliott, a physician and one of the world’s most prominent injury-prevention experts, put it to me: “Your fear that your kid will get hurt is depriving them of something they’ll never get back.”

Elliott runs the Peak Performance Project, known as P3, a movement lab in Santa Barbara, California, where many athletes—a huge percentage of NBA, NFL, and MLB players—have been found to be at risk of injury because of deficiencies in their movement quality. P3’s researchers focus on “kinematic movers,” whose bodies have a ready solution to almost any movement problem: They can land on either one foot or two, jump every which way, and change directions easily. They’re not always the highest jumpers or the fastest sprinters, but, at least among a well-studied cohort, they are likely to play for a long time without injury.

This is why Elliott recommends that children play like animals: He suspects that every adult kinematic mover grew up playing freely like that fuzzball in my backyard. The robustness necessary to repel injury has little to do with getting in cardio, running fast, or jumping high. Instead, he says, robustness has to do with “movement quality,” which is to athleticism as fluency is to language.

This tracks with an observation made by the journalist David Epstein, who writes in Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World that athletes from tiny towns have irrational levels of success. Epstein’s theory is that with a shortage of players, small towns need the best athletes on the football, baseball, and basketball teams. Playing a variety of sports might foster a person’s robust movement vocabularies.

Thankfully, providing kids with more freedom doesn’t require a lot of money. Mostly, it just requires a little creativity.

Read: How the coronavirus is influencing children’s play

Almost every kid who comes into my house feels a deep urge to romp on the huge yoga ball in our living room (which cost less than $20). They body slam it, Superman across its top, throw a sibling into it, and do other bonkers stuff. Many parents who witness such behavior grow anxious, shout bossy directives, or declare the ball off-limits entirely. Of course, I understand; no one wants to end up at urgent care. But I’m also aware that kids who start out falling down go on to quickly develop new skills. Some blossom into pro-grade yoga-ball surfers. When my son was young, he developed an uncanny ability to perch on all fours atop the ball even as someone (honestly: me) forcibly shoved him this way and that. He’s now a 6-foot-1-inch engineering undergrad; we have not outgrown this game.

Elliott told me that when work would keep him on the laptop during weekend afternoons, he’d give his kids small physical challenges: Can you hop on your left leg all the way across here, and then clear that hurdle? Can you step off that ledge, land, and leap right back up? One of his daughters remembers earning dessert by hopping a giant lap of the backyard on her left foot. Elliott and his children also wrestle one another like puppies do. In this way, he explained, his kids learn how to perform complex movements while keeping one another safe—by, say, avoiding the corner of the coffee table.

All of this free play can help when kids start taking up play of a more serious kind. Many sports injuries come from iffy form when landing. Kinematic movers do well, Elliott’s lab has found, because they land with active feet that greet the ground, as well as ankles, knees, and hips that flex nicely in time with one another—perhaps because these movers practiced so much free play as kids. P3’s trainers spend long hours putting athletes through the grueling work of mastering landing technique as teenagers or adults, remedial lessons that appear to have a big impact. A 2022 study found that ACL-injury-prevention training, which generally includes landing and explosive movement, reduced ACL tears by an average of 64 percent among young female athletes. (This aligns with research on ballet dancers, among the few groups who train from a young age to land properly. They may sustain plenty of sprains and other overuse injuries, but they also have a striking shortage of ACL tears compared with other athletes who jump as much.)

Eric Leidersdorf, a movement scientist and the president of P3, has more than a decade’s worth of experience poring over the movement data of elite athletes. He also has an 18-month-old daughter. I asked him if he intends to apply the lessons of his day job to parenting. “Absolutely,” he replied. He then used the word play 10 times in two minutes. “My real hope is that she explores the world,” Leidersdorf told me. “I want her to love moving and find joy in that.” I know a bunny that probably gets it.

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CHILDERSBURG, Ala. – Registration is wrapping up for fall youth sports with Childersburg Parks and Recreation.

In-person sign-ups end Friday, July 11, at the R.S. Limbaugh Community Center for football cheerleading, tackle football, flag football and soccer.

Online registration at childersburg.recdesk.com remains open through Saturday, July 12.

Costs are $125 for cheerleading and tackle football, and $75 for flag football and soccer. Residents of the housing authority are eligible for discounted rates: $63 for cheer and tackle, and $38 for flag and soccer. Proof of residence is required at the time of in-person registration.

Officials encourage families to register now as spots are limited and deadlines are firm. For more information, visit the rec center or call Childersburg Parks and Recreation at (256) 378-6225.

The grand prize award was captured by 5-year-old Joey Spayer who landed a whopping 15-1/2-inch smallmouth bass. Prizes provided by Evergreen Outfitters were awarded to the top eight youth participants.
Submitted Photo

Late June rainstorms delayed the 37th Annual Lew Mead Youth Fishing Derby at Cassadaga Lake on Saturday, June 28, and committee officials moved the derby to Sunday, June 29. More than 40 kids from three to 16 years of age participated in discovering more about the outdoors through the fun of fishing. Prizes provided by Evergreen Outfitters (Mayville store) were awarded to the top eight youth participants. The grand prize award was captured by 5-year-old Joey Spayer who landed a whopping 15-1/2 inch smallmouth bass. All the kids received a souvenir Lew Mead Memorial hat, and t-shirt.

An annual fishing derby for kids that has continued for nearly 40 years offers a wealth of meaningful lessons for all to share. The continuity of the event reflects a strong, caring community.

When the kids of yesterday become the volunteers of today, the shared experiences foster long term bonds and a sense of responsibility to give back. Important lessons learned include traditions like the Lew Mead Memorial Derby by people who care.

Fishing teaches kids to slow down, observe, and appreciate the outdoors, qualities that are rare in our modern screen-driven world. They learn respect for wildlife, water and ecosystems, and they have a chance to observe the rhythms of nature. Kids learn that not everything in life is instant. Sometimes you wait. Sometimes you try and you fail. With fishing, you learn to keep trying. With fishing, kids learn to reinforce their focus, and they learn problem solving. Mentors say kids learn to be resilient thanks to fishing. Fishing contributes to something meaningful that can become part of a living tradition. Hats off to Derby chairman Steve Wickmark who said, “We are lucky to have a great supporting staff each year, thanks to them and the parents, all the kids had a great time.”

LAKE ERIE WALLEYE CONTEST THIS WEEKEND: The highly anticipated “Walleye Duel in Dunkirk” will take place on July 12 – 13, with the Captain’s Meeting to be held on Friday, June 11th, at 7:00 p.m. in the Clarion Hotel pavilion. Tournament Director, Mark Mohr, said,

More than 40 kids from 3 to 16 years of age participated in the 37th Annual Lew Mead Memorial Fishing Derby at Cassadaga Lake. All the kids received a souvenir Lew Mead Memorial hat, and T-shirt.
Submitted Photo

“This is an event not to be missed. Great prizes and fun for all.” Anyone interested in fishing in this tournament, please Mohr at 716-998-9871.

Outdoors Calendar

July 12-13: WALLEYE. Walleye Duel in Dunkirk, Dunkirk Pavilion – Clarion Hotel Pavilion, $500 entry; 3-fish bag/ 2-days; Captain’s Mtg on July 11; contact Mark Mohr: 716-998-9871.

July 17-20: WALLEYE. Sunset Bay Walleye Shoot-Out 2025, $500 entry, $750K prizes; 6-fish bag/day – 1-day major contest; Don Ruppert; 716-435-4137, visit: www.walleyeshootout.com/.

July 20: BASS. Chautauqua Lake Bassmasters 2025 Summer Open, Bass for Cash, 6 a.m. – 2 p.m., Prendergast Boat Launch, $200 Entry includes Big Bass Payout. Info: 716-708-0330.

Submitted photo

July 26-27: ARCHERY. NYS Archery Shooters Association (ASA) Federation Championship, Bear Lake Rod & Gun. Info: Rudy Abersold, 716-397-9717.

The grand prize award was captured by 5-year-old Joey Spayer who landed a whopping 15-1/2-inch smallmouth bass. Prizes provided by Evergreen Outfitters were awarded to the top eight youth participants.
Submitted Photo

More than 40 kids from 3 to 16 years of age participated in the 37th Annual Lew Mead Memorial Fishing Derby at Cassadaga Lake. All the kids received a souvenir Lew Mead Memorial hat, and T-shirt.
Submitted Photo

Submitted photo

Many youngsters have spent their summers practicing on a variety of fields within the City of Lock Haven and beyond — in particular Taggart Park.

Recently, the city upgraded the field along Park Street to continue being a key part of many childhoods for years to come.

With the history of this park in mind, city council along with its staff decided to dedicate the field to a longtime supporter of youth sports — John Lipez.

“For the past several decades, if you ask people who is the voice of youth sports in our area, they will inevitably say ‘John Lipez,’” Mayor Joel Long said during a ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday afternoon. “His voice, photos and writing have covered our local teams in victory and defeat, whether on the t-ball field or on the university wrestling mat — John has been a part of nearly every sporting event in our area that people value.”

HUNTER SMITH/THE EXPRESS
Attendees of the Taggart Park field dedication enjoy hotdogs provided by The Old Corner Bar & Grille following the ceremony.

This includes many Little League games which took place at Taggart Park.

Lipez, who hadn’t known about the honor until arriving at the field to see many members of his family, stood with Long as city staff unveiled the sign bearing his name.

“John’s legacy is not just about celebrating the wins, but calling out the exceptions, even in defeat,” Long continued. “His reporting is personalized, highlighting those who gave it their all, whether they win or lose.”

“It’s giving it a try, putting in the effort, that John has always celebrated. That’s what makes him an exceptional voice for youth sports in our community,” Long continued.

He noted John’s decades of support with promoting youth sports with his coverage and the time he spent coaching Little League, junior league and legion baseball.

HUNTER SMITH/THE EXPRESS
John Lipez, left, and Lock Haven City Mayor Joel Long, right, are pictured after Long announced Taggart Park field would be named in Lipez’s honor during a ceremony on Friday morning.

Lipez, who prior the announcement provided a history of the field — including his time playing baseball at 13 — joked that this “brings it full circle from 13 to whatever age I am now.”

He thanked city council, its staff, his family and everyone who was involved in the honor.

Prior to the surprise, Lipez offered a history of the junior league field, which was created in 1958.

Following this, he shared some anecdotes and memories.

“I told City Manager Greg Wilson I had 479 anecdotes to share about events at the new junior league field. He thought that might be overkill so I’ll offer a few,” he joked.

This included learning the strength of the late Bud Yost’s — a former Lock Haven Mayor and Clinton County Commissioner — are strengths when he was able to throw a ball from centerfield which went over the backstop and “was last seen rolling down Park Street towards St. Agnes.”

Another was when legendary Lock Haven High School football coach, the late Don Malinak, umpired for junior league in the 1950s.

He said during a game in 1958, a rival team player, Bud Neyhart, attempted to catch a high popup at first base.

“Unfortunately, it came down and struck him in the nose, causing considerable bloodshed. Umpire Malinak, always hard nosed, came to check on the player, grabbed his nose and said ‘yep, it’s broken,’” Lipez recalled.

Lipez also shared his own memories from the field. This included the 1959 Rotary Championship game, later his first American Legion homerun over the right field fence and coaching his son, Jeb, in Junior League.

“It was also the site of his first Lock Haven High School homerun over center field,” he said.

“What we have here today, 68 years later, is the next phase of the junior league history for the next generation to create its own memories,” he said.

Lipez pointed to his great grandson, Hudson, who was playing in the shade of a tree behind him. Hudson was turning three years old over the weekend, he said.

“I’d love nothing more than to see, in a decade, him playing first base on this very same field as did his great-grandfather and his great-uncle,” he said.

“Baseball has always been special in this community and in this country, creating memories that we all cherish,” he continued. “Thanks to all those involved for creating the Lock Haven Junior League field in 1958 and improving it even more in 2025.”

The improvements to Taggart Park and its field — funded through the city, the Department of Economic Development and Department Conservation and Natural Resources — included new dugouts, batting cage and walking path and renovations to the restrooms and were completed in 2024.

Submitted Photo
Rebecca Watkins, Natural Resources specialist with the Rugby Field Office, leads wetland exploration at the Rolette County Day Camp June 25.

BELCOURT – Students from across the region came together June 25 at the Anishinabe Learning, Cultural and Wellness Center for a hands-on introduction to conservation. Hosted by Rolette County Soil Conservation District and the Anishinabe Center, with support from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), the event offered interactive learning grounded in cultural and environmental stewardship and featured interactive learning stations led by NRCS staff and natural resource professionals.

Students rotated through six learning stations, each lasting 25 minutes, highlighting soils, wetlands, engineering, rangeland, wildlife and tree identification.

Presenters included:

– Adam Flaagan, NRCS tribal liaison for Spirit Lake Nation, and Stephanie Baker, soil conservationist with the Bottineau Field Office, demonstrated soil science.

– Rebecca Watkins, Natural Resources specialist, Rugby Field Office, led wetland exploration.

– Jeff Desjarlais, NRCS tribal liaison for Turtle Mountain, shared wildlife insights.

– Beth Miller, North Dakota Forest Service, introduced students to native tree species.

– Yolanda Schmidt, Rangeland Management specialist, Rugby Field Office, presented on range management.

– Dan Julson, NRCS civil engineer, and Tory Nygaard, engineering technician with the Devils Lake Field Office, covered engineering concepts.

The day camp was designed to foster environmental awareness and stewardship among youth by integrating science, cultural knowledge and interactive learning in a natural setting.

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Marion County Prosecutor’s Office is trading the courtroom for the court. The basketball court, that is.

The annual youth basketball clinic is back, giving kids a chance to build skills and confidence both on and off the court.

“I found that sports is really a great way to be able to meet people where they are,” said Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears. “It’s kind of common ground for all of us where we can get together, and share our passion and enthusiasm for basketball, and hopefully have a positive impact on these young people.”

This is the 5th annual Youth Basketball Clinic hosted by the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office. The one-day clinic is free and open to children ages 8-12. The coaches focus on teaching the fundamentals of the game. Registration is required.

“I think there’s just a need for it,” Mears said. “I think we see so many people in our community who are just looking for that positive interaction. There are a lot of kids who want to do the right thing. We just got to create those opportunities for them, and basketball can be way we can maybe bridge that gap with kids who maybe otherwise wouldn’t be interested in working with the (Marion County) Prosecutor’s Office.”

Participant Josuel Encarnacion-Tejada said he’s learning the basics that the coaches teach him, and he’s loving it.

“Ball handling and shooting,” Encarnacion-Tejada said.

The 9-year-old says he wants to come to the youth clinic again in the future.

“Because it’s fun and we get to practice a lot,” Encarnacion-Tejada said.

Mears says now more than ever, youth need a safe space to express themselves.

“We really want kids to build up their self-esteem and be leaders in their communities. Hopefully some of the foundations to those building blocks can start today,” said Mears.

Mears said he hopes to continue the basketball clinics in the future, with a goal of proving community engagement can be both impactful and fun.