The Indianapolis Children’s Museum kicked off the seventh season of its “Riley Children’s Health Sports Legends Experience” March 16. Sports Legends is open throughout the summer and offers families a chance to participate in over a dozen sports experiences located in the 7.5-acre outdoor park and three indoor experiences.
“The idea is you’d go and get exposure to sports, maybe that you play and just have fun with your family, or maybe there’s something you want to try that you haven’t tried before and could do that too. The whole idea is an interactive, hands-on experience to expose kids and families to sports and physical fitness,” said Enzley Mitchell, director of the Riley Children’s Health Sports Legends Experience.
Mitchell said the park aims to promote physical fitness, family participation, inclusivity, and sports science and history as well as provide activities that anyone, no matter their age, physical abilities, height, strength or knowledge of sports, can participate in.
The park includes the Indiana Pacers and Fever Basketball, Indianapolis Colts Football, Indy Fuel Hockey, and Indy Eleven Soccer Experiences as well as racing, golf and tennis experiences. The museum also offers indoor options that teach about the history and science of these sports.
Sports Legends offers various basketball hoops and ball sizes, junior-sized hockey equipment and goals, and numerous goalposts so all ages can try their hand at the sports.
“When you come in, the one thing you’re gonna notice right away is a bunch of bright orange shirts running around, so you can’t miss the coaches,” Mitchell said. “Let’s just say, you walk up to the soccer experience and I’m there hosting it … I’m going to greet you, then after that, you can go and take advantage of what you want. You want to kick a goal, go ahead and do it; if you want to wait for our program, we’ll have timed programs within each of the experiences. The coaches are there to facilitate interaction and play.” Mitchell said.
Parents and guardians are encouraged to participate in the fun with their children.
“As a mother of four and grandmother of six, I can confidently say one of the most important life skills is for them to gain confidence, determination and never give up. Those aren’t things you can really teach, but you can expose your kids to sports, which helps them learn by doing. In the process, they learn teamwork, respect and how to follow instructions to improve whatever you’re working on,” said Kim Robinson, whose grandchildren participated in Sports Legends.
The park also emphasizes learning about sports history. The three indoor galleries are unique and provide a look into the history and greats of each sport. One of the indoor options is the World of Sports Museum, which is self-directed and includes the history of multiple sports. There is also the Indy Fuel Hockey Experience. This is part of what Mitchell called the “temporary galleries,” which change every two to three years. This year, it is all about Hockey.
“We host that one, so we’ll have one of our coaches in there, and they’ll do a program. When I say program, it’s almost like a mini play where they’re given a history of the sport,” Mitchell said.
The final indoor galley is more relaxed and quiet, allowing people to see the connection between sports and arts with pictures of iconic moments in sports history and art created by athletes themselves.
No matter a child’s skill level, interest or knowledge of sports, the Riley Children’s Health Sports Legends Experience aims to get children outdoors and active and to teach them the valuable lessons associated with sports.
Contact Racial Justice Reporter Garrett Simms at 317-762-7847
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