Give to the Raiders and UNLV Sports Health Program (RUSH)
Housed in the UNLV School of Public Health, the groundbreaking Raiders/UNLV Sports and Health Program (RUSH) will provide opportunities for middle school youths to learn the skills and knowledge needed to play sports in high school. Although this unique initiative is intended to be coed, the program will be primarily focused on the recruitment of girls. The overarching goals of the RUSH program are to increase:
(1) the amount of physical activity of all participants;
(2) girls’ intention to play sports in high school;
(3) the consumption of healthy food options (including fruits and vegetables) among all youths and;
(4) the intention to seek help for mental health issues among participants.
The proposed program is a three-day clinic, thoughtfully designed to teach the skills and knowledge necessary to successfully play flag football in high school. Girls and boys from three, 100% free or reduced lunch, majority-minority middle schools in CCSD will be recruited to participate.
Why Focus on Middle School Girls?
Although young girls and boys enroll in sports at a similar rate, girls’ participation in sports begins to decline around age nine, and drops off sharply in the teen years. By the age of 14, girls drop out of sports at two times the rate of boys. The Women’s Sports Foundation provides many reasons that it is important to keep girls in sports, starting in middle school. Through sports, girls learn important life skills such as teamwork, leadership and confidence. In fact, high school female athletes have more positive body images than non-athletes and more than three-quarters of working women feel that sports participation helps enhance their self-image. Participation in sports also has positive effects on women’s health. Research has found that girls active in sports during adolescence and young adulthood are 20% less likely to get breast cancer later in life.
Why Flag Football?
For the last decade, flag football has been sanctioned as an approved sports program for girls. CCSD high schools offer Freshman, Junior Varsity, and Varsity flag football programs, which provide girls with the opportunity to participate in the sport at every level. In its inaugural year, 748 girls participated in flag football, which nearly tripled to 1,926 in three short years. Several girls graduating from CCSD schools have now been offered college scholarships to play collegiate flag football at NAIA colleges and universities.
What will the RUSH Program do?
Common barriers to sports participation for girls include a lack of availability and awareness of sports, low confidence, perceived lack of skill, and feeling unwelcome. Cost is also a barrier. Girls from families with an income of over $100,000 have a higher chance of participating in sports than families with lower incomes.
The purpose of the RUSH Program will be to help girls overcome these barriers to sports participation by exposing them to flag football, its rules, and the skills needed to be successful for free. During the initial three-day clinic, participants will learn the rules of flag football and gain confidence in their ability to play flag football by participating in skill drills. Skill drills will include concepts such as throwing, catching and receiver routes, defensive coverage and interception, handoff and running, and speed, agility and field awareness.
According to Healthy Southern Nevada, 24.8% of children in Clark County are impacted by food insecurity. Breaks from school can mean breaks from meals, for some students. The RUSH Program will aim to address this by partnering with Three Square to provide breakfast and lunch to all participants for the duration of the clinics. During breaks between drills and physical activities, healthy snacks will be provided and accompanied by discussions about the importance of eating healthy.
Additionally, trained mental health professionals will talk to participants to reduce stigma about mental health issues and provide resources for help.