HIGH LIFE

Nearly 90% of parents say sports are as good for daughters as for sons, a national survey report says.

The parents apparently practice what they believe and support their daughters in swimming pools, at the courts and on playing fields, the poll also found.

Of girls ages 7 to 10 who participated in the survey, 87% said they take part in sports, says “The Wilson Report: Moms, Dads, Daughters and Sports.”

Among those ages 11 to 14, 84% are active in sports, the report says. And among those 15 to 18, 75% are.

The report, released by the Wilson Sporting Goods Co. and the Women’s Sports Foundation, is based on telephone interviews last winter with 1,004 mothers and fathers, plus 513 of their daughters ages 7 to 18.

Parents’ support of sports for their daughters was linked with the idea of payoffs. “When asked how girls benefit, 55% of parents named physical and health factors,” the report says. “Other benefits: building confidence and self-esteem, 41%; promoting teamwork, fostering cooperation and encouraging friendships, 27%.

“As one parent summed it up, girls who play sports ‘become better coordinated, they are healthier and they learn to get along with others. They learn to be part of the team.’ ”

The daughters have a much simpler reason for liking sports, according to the report.

“They play sports because it’s fun,” the report says.

“So fun, in fact, that 89% of girls today say they plan to play sports throughout their adult lives.”

“Time is nature’s way of keeping everything from happening at once.”

--Unknown