January 05, 2021

Episode 15: Katie Arnold – Nurturing a love for Sport and Play

1 hour 3 minutes

Katie Arnold joins us for round two on the podcast today! You first heard from her in episode 9 when we talked about raising adventurous kids! Today she returns and we talk about kids and sports and why it’s so important to nurture a love for sport AND play. It can be really easy to get sucked into the World of signing your kid up for ALL THE THINGS and we want to stay curious and examine why we sign our kids up for things and how to strive for a healthy ratio of organized sport versus unorganized free play.

Here is a little more about Katie in case you missed our first episode! She is the mother of two girls, an ultra runner and a writer. She won the Leadville 100 in 2018 and her work has been published in Outside, her stories have appeared in The New York Times, Men’s Journal, ESPN the Magazine, Marie Claire, Runner’s World, Elle, and Sunset, among others.

She created and launched the popular Raising Rippers column, about bringing up adventurous kids. Her families can be found adventuring up mountains and down rivers and I wanted to hear her tips and ideas for how to pursue a lifestyle like this with your kids.

Katie is also an author and her first book, a memoir; Running Home is now available in paperback- make sure you check it out at your local bookstore and it’s also available on audible narrated by Katie. If anyone’s interested in hosting a live Zoom event, contact Katie through her website katiearnold.net, where you can also find info about running and writing FLOW retreats she leads!

Let’s get to hearing all about raising adventurous kids now!

What we talked about:

2:45- An update on what Katie has been up to with her kids

5:45- The discussion of balancing kid’s sports with other priorities

17:10- How to balance schedules with encouraging kids to be well rounded with sports and activities

26:25- The balance of starting kids young in sports

30:20- Encouraging play over competitive for kids

38:25- The life lessons that team sports can teach children

59:00- Being intentional to create the experience that you want for your family

Show Notes:

Norwich – One Tiny Vermont Town’s Secret to Happiness and Excellence

Don’t Let Youth Sports Hijack your Life