Sport Centre
30-10-2008

Searching For Talented Children Is Going
On

The “Treasure seeking” program started by Debrecen Sport Centre Kht. is keeping on this school year as well. Its goal is to search, to choose and to teach sports talents studying in the educational institutions of Debrecen and by this means providing proper new generation for the sections of Sport School and for the adult sport organizations of Debrecen. We interviewed head of the programme, Danica Keczeli sport psychologist about the experience up to now and the future conceptions.

What brought this programme into life?

In the present educational system Physical Education fell into the background therefore teaching of the rising generation also wrestles with difficulties. This fact called “Treasure seeking” programme into being, the programme wants to change it. Our aim is to give the children possibility by a comprehensive education to know several sports and after experiencing them they would be able to decide which sport they want to pursue.

When did the program start?

The program is two years old; it began in 2006/2007 school year. In the first year we tried to choose from wider school groups, after that according to our experience we changed it and reorganized the programme. We began to concentrate on the third forms and we have chosen from them.

Why do you exactly choose from the third-form pupils?

We would like to change the misbelief that children should go to “trainings” already in the kindergarten. In our opinion that age is too early. As a psychologist I think that in the first and second class children need to get accustomed to the new performance orientated world. It is the third year which seems to be the most optimal; children can more seriously be orientated towards sport then.

Who can be said to be a sport talent?

The meaning of sport talent is very complex. It has got three essentially important components: the inherited abilities, the material conditions and the environment, in this case the family. I would emphasize function of the latter one in this age-group. As these children are 8-10 years old, it is important that parents think it is good for their children to do sport. So we initiate them in the process.

Please tell me the order of the programme!

First of all, the children take part in a multifunctional education which involves ball and athletic exercises and swimming. After it, sport specific education follows when the children can know the sections of Sport School. This time each group spends two weeks in each section. 

How many children participate in the programme started in spring?

At present 158 „treasures” participate in our programme, they are in eight groups and four P.E. teachers educate them.

Do you plan any reforms to increase efficiency of the programme?

A sport anthropometric and a sport psychological examination will be done in November. These examinations are important in choosing the sport. The sport anthropometry is destined for determining the adult body build of the 8-12 years old children. During the sport psychological examination we talk with the parents and the children when the little athletes’ stress and monotony tolerance and situation recognition ability can be discovered. Furthermore it can also be brought to light if the child is interested in either single or team sports.

What is the next step?

We begin the next examination soon. I and my colleagues will visit schools of the city; we go to P.E. lessons where we are searching for the talented children. Future of the Hungarian sport depends also on them. I trust that we can keep them in sport and then we contribute to growing up a healthier generation.

I.Cs.