National conference at Clemson University promotes playing every day

Published: February 13, 2013

By Kayla Cobb

CLEMSON — Clemson University is set to host the US Play Coalition’s Conference on the Value of Play Feb. 17-20 at the Madren Conference Center.  

More than 200 experts in the fields of medicine, parks and recreation, health science, education and more will address the benefits of play during lectures and panel discussions. Participants also will take time to play.

The conference theme is “The Value of Play: Taking Action.” Presenters will share research that shows play can help reduce one of America’s primary health issues: obesity.

Fran Mainella, the 16^th director of the National Park Service and a visiting scholar in Clemson’s department of parks, recreation and tourism management, co-chairs the US Play Coalition. She said children today play much less than their counterparts 20 years ago. Mainella said the decline is linked to reports of increased obesity, attention deficit disorder, depression and diabetes in children and adults.

“It is a crisis,” Mainella said. “We call it a crisis of play deprivation.”

Mainella and other researchers are concerned “screen” activities may be replacing physical activities.

“Children and adults spend a great deal of time watching television, playing video games and chatting on the Internet,” Mainella said. “Our goal is to reverse this trend and encourage everyone to make time to play and take full advantage of the great outdoors.” 

Dr. Regina Milteer, chief medical officer for UnitedHealthcare Community Plan, is among the keynote speakers at this year’s conference. In a recent publication of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Milteer wrote, “All children should have at least 60 minutes of play a day.” She also said play should not be confined to team sports. 

“Play is really defined as what you wish it to be, but in all honesty, it’s not a waste of time,” Mainella said.

Speakers and panel discussions at this year’s conference include:

• Dr. Michael Suk, (7:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 17) chairman of orthopedic surgery for the Geisinger Health System in Danville, Pa., on “Strategic Action for Good Health — Uniting Communities Around Play.”
• Kevin Carroll, (8 a.m. Monday, Feb. 18) author of three successful books on the value of sports and play, speaking on “The Power of Sport and Play — A Ball Can Change the World.”
• Keynote Panel Discussion (7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 18) featuring Joe Frost, honorary program chairman and facilitator; Fran P. Mainella, co-chairwoman of the US Play Coalition and 16th director of the National Park Service; Dr. Michael Suk, orthopedic surgeon; Debora Wisneski, president of the Association for Childhood Education International and professor at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
• Dr. Regina Milteer, (Tuesday, Feb. 19, 8 a.m.) chief medical officer of UnitedHealthcare Community Plan, speaking on “Is It Just Play or Serious Business?”

Conference attendees can expect an hour of outdoor playtime at the Madren Center beginning at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 19. Registration is open from now until the day of the event and is $99 for Clemson faculty and students and $249 for all other attendees. 

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The US Play Coalition
The US Play Coalition, made up of individuals and organizations that recognize play as a valuable and necessary part of a healthy and productive life, is housed at Clemson University in the College of Health, Education and Human Development. The coalition was born out of The Summit on the Value of Play, which took place at Clemson in the summer of 2009. Attendees at the summit made a commitment to create a coalition with the purpose of bringing together organizations and individuals in support of play and opening up opportunities for people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities to incorporate play into their lives.

Fran Mainella
Fran Mainella, a visiting scholar at Clemson in the department of parks, recreation and tourism management, is champion of a movement she calls “No Child Left Inside,” which she started during her tenure at the National Park Service. “We believe play is a basic human need and the foundation of strong intellectual, physical and emotional development,” Mainella said. “Play is essential to a person reaching his or her full potential.” Mainella was invited to speak in China in October and Clemson now has memorandum of understanding with Shanghai China.  She and Clemson professor Brett Wright, chairman of the department of parks, recreation, and tourism, co-chair the conference.