ORLANDO, Fla. — It’s no surprise that many people, not just kids, are addicted to screen time and electronics. With the world in our back pocket, it’s hard to pull yourself away from it. 

What You Need To Know

  • According to the Aspen Institute, youth activity a week is higher than pre-pandemic 

  • Youth sports leads to better overall health and performance in school

  • The Winter Park YMCA provides countless activities for youth and adults 

  • Evelyn, who became introverted during the pandemic, is now thriving on the court and in the classroom 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the world had to do everything behind closed doors and screens. As a result of technological advances and the pandemic, the activity level of adolescents and teenagers suffered. 

For Odean Clarke, he says his daughter Evelyn has always been driven and independent.

“I think her with the pandemic, becoming even more withdrawn, more solo, I think when we went back to volleyball, we had to recalibrate,” Clarke said, such as recalibrate how she thinks of activity and making sure she’s moving her body daily.

Clarke said the lockdown wasn’t as difficult for him.

“I had an at-home gym, but it was a habit that I had done for years,” he said.

Kids, however, didn’t adapt as well. So the urgency for things to reopen, and for Evelyn and her sister to get back outside and into a routine was important.

“I noticed that it was more difficult to say ‘Hey guys, let’s go to the gym like we used to,’” Clarke said.

Studies conducted by the Aspen Institute show that kids activity level was at 13.6 hours a week pre-pandemic. During the pandemic, it dropped as low as 7.2 hours. Now, it’s back up to 16.6 hours a week since September 2022, higher than pre-pandemic. 

Now that the pandemic is over, Evelyn has something to look forward to — volleyball at the Winter Park YMCA. 

However, it took Evelyn, her sister and friends time to get back into the swing of things. Clarke, who coaches her team, said she and her teammates are now thriving.

“I think youth sports and volleyball through the Y have been instrumental in getting her to build her character, getting her to see what she can achieve by being in the right place, with the right team, I would say,” he said.

Sports has inspired Evelyn to work harder in school and she is now working over the summer to skip the eighth grade. She is also a role model on her team.