EXCLUSIVE

Mike Singletary Talks About the Importance of Parks and Recreation

Last fall, Illinois Parks and Recreation announced that former Chicago Bear Mike Singletary had signed on as spokesman for the Take Time For Fun! public awareness campaign. During a video shoot this spring, Illinois Parks and Recreation had an opportunity to openly talk to Mike Singletary about the role recreation played in his life. What we found during our interview was not the aggressive, intimidating linebacker who appeared in ten Pro Bowls and led the Bears to an NFL championship in the mid '80s, but a sincere, caring person who is concerned with the future of our youth and totally supports the park district system. Following are excerpts from the interview conducted by Julia Mackavoy.

Mike, what impact has recreation had on your life?

I remember growing up as a kid, there wasn't a whole lot to do in the neighborhood. Being the last of ten children, I was always looking for something to do. I could always go to the park and get involved in something that was going on there—some type of race or some type of tournament, whether it be basketball or track or football—that really occupied a lot of my time. I can't imagine a kid not having that outlet now. I can remember sometimes on Saturdays we'd get together and go to a facility—all of us—and just participate in a tournament. Nine times out often we would win because we had some of the best teams around. And it was a lot of fun. It gave us a lot of self-esteem and a lot to talk about for the rest of the week. Not only Saturdays, but it was an everyday thing. It was something to do every day. After school we had activities, we had fun, we had something to look forward to. To this day, the recreation—the park district—still remains a big part of our lives because our kids are involved in programs that can enhance their abilities, can enhance their teamwork skills, can enhance their ability to play with other kids, and I think that's what it's all about.

I'm sure with your national reputation you are asked to endorse all kinds of products, projects and organizations. Why did you agree to become the spokesman for Illinois Parks and Recreation?

For the money! (laughs jokingly)

I really feel that a park district is a big part of a kid's life. Without the park district when I was growing up, I'm not sure what would have happened. I'm not sure what Mike Singletary would have been like without it. I always had something to do.

For me it was very easy to become spokesperson for the park districts because I really believe that a park district plays a large part in a kid's life. You always have something to do. There's always activities. It really teaches you a lot about interacting with other kids. Those are things that you need early in life.

What type of park and recreational activities do you, your wife and kids participate in today?

My daughter is involved in a skating program, and she looks forward to it. She has a lot of fun, a lot of friends, and she's always looking forward to getting together and interacting with them and having a great time.

My son and I have done some fishing. I want to get more involved in camping and stuff like that. I don't know if my wife and three girls are excited about that right now!

Can you imagine a world without recreation?

"Without the park district when I was growing up, I'm not sure what would have happened. I'm not sure what Mike Singletary would have been like without it."

I think a world without recreation would be very dull. I don't really think you would feel the repercussions of something like that until you were older and realized that you missed out... that you didn't have fun ... you didn't enjoy ... you weren't a kid. Without those facilities or without those programs there's a part of us that will never grow. If you could tell the residents of Illinois just one thing about why recreation is important in their lives, what would the one thing be? I think if you want to see healthy kids ... if you want to see fully developed kids, kids that are able to have outlets, kids that are able to express themselves, kids that are able to interact with other kids, all types of kids, I think you'll understand very easily how important it is that recreation is a very big part of their lives.

Americans are more productive than ever today. We're working more than we've ever worked and often for less wages when you adjust for inflation. I think this creates a lot of stress in people's lives. Can you see where parks and recreation would come into relieving that stress, creating a balance between leisure and work? Why is that balance important to our mental health, as adults?

What is that line about "all work and no play"? I know it's not good, and I think anyone who continues to work and not have fun, not have a place where they can release the stress or alleviate the stress, is going to find a dead end. They' re going to hit a wall that they really want to get away from. We need to have something in our lives where we can just let it go and have fun.

How can organized activities, sports or other events make a difference in a person's development?

I think it's important to have these types of programs or options, especially when you're young, because you're growing. Your body needs to learn how to grow—and the mind, as it relates to the muscles, the nerve system, the nerve endings. It is all moving, it is all growing, and you need to be able to put it into motion. If you're not doing these things, it's going to take a long time before you're able to realize how the mind interacts with the muscles in terms of just playing basketball or running track or playing football. I know a lot of guys that will say, "Man, I wish I had done this as a kid." It would've been a lot easier to learn how to ski or just do simple things had they had these programs.

You do work with youth groups and anti-drug and antialcohol programs. Have you been able to see how we can keep kids out of gangs or how we can keep youth out of trouble? How can parks and recreation help?

I think, first of all, that parks and recreation play a large role in our society today because, with the lack of fathers at home and the proper role models within these facilities, it really makes it nice for your kid to be able to go someplace where you know there are people that are there, in place and position, that really care about the kids. They really care about the development of the kids, both physically and mentally—people that are going to ask the right questions, people that are going to direct these kids, put them on the right road. These are things that you want to have. And the park districts, I think in this day and time, and this is going to sound crazy, but I really think they almost play a larger role than our schools ... I really do.

Was that the case for you when you were growing up? Do you remember going to the park to participate in the track program and looking up to a park leader for guidance?

Most definitely. We had people there that we really respected and looked up to. It was almost like a place of refuge— what the home is supposed to be. Mom and dad were going through certain things they just couldn't handle at the time. What I lacked at home I found at the park district... a chance to tell a guy that was going through the same thing that I was, "Hey, this is what I'm going through. How are you handling it? How do you feel about it?"

I still remember the guy who worked there. His name was Mr. Johnson. He was a really neat guy. We had a great time talking. He had a great time pulling my ears when I got out of line and stuff like that! But we learned a lot. I learned a lot from him.

At parks, you're given the opportunity to meet people different from yourself and also further understand them. Have you found this in your own experiences or in your children's experiences?

I definitely believe the park system is a training ground for how to interact with other people, other kids. I think a lot of times when you're in a particular school system, there's a certain amount of kids there, there's a certain kind of kid there. When I have a chance to go to the park district, there are kids there from everywhere, especially during the summer time when you may meet a kid from another city. You're sitting there, you're talking, and you may become good friends with them. You'll never forget them. They may impact your life in ways that you never thought possible. It's extremely important.

This computer age that we're in, a lot of kids would rather sit at home and play Nintendo or whatever, and they never get out and get a chance to visit other kids, or talk to other kids, or interact with other kids. And they never know what it's like to sit down and talk to a black kid, or sit down and talk to a Chinese kid, or an Italian kid, or a Mexican kid. All they know is what they see on television. Then their minds become stereotyped, and that's all they'll ever know. It won't be until later in life [that they'll find out] because we're so afraid of change... it's highly unlikely that we're going to step outside of our little boundaries.

Have you reflected on your life-long commitment to recreation now that you're retired from professional football?

It is extremely important for me to stay involved in recreation because that's where it's at. You know, we live in this life, and we're always taking ourselves so seriously. Our jobs are

important, we've got bills to pay, we've got taxes and all of those other things. But if we want to stay loose, if we want to continue to find ourselves again, we have to find the kids. And recreation is where the kids are. They bring out the youth in us. They bring out the fun, as well as some of the other things in life.

We've got tough economic times across the country. We've got government belt-tightening and fiscal frugalness and everybody's trying to figure out where we can cut the budget. I think it's often tempting to say that we can cut the park system. How can we get people to take parks and recreation seriously? How can we get them to keep the big picture in mind?

I guess we really need to keep in mind how important it was for us when we were kids. This is something that we had. It's something that I know my generation had and enjoyed—the park districts. Being able to go there and interact with other people from other places, and other parts of town, and other backgrounds. If we were allowed to have that great time in our lives, why should our kids grow up without it? How do we expect them to get along in a world that's even more withdrawn than ever before? We've got to take time to have fun. We've got to take time to do some special things for our kids and allow them to interact with other people.

Environmental issues are big concerns for many people today. It's hard to get to nature sometimes. It's hard to have a connection of what it feels like to be canoeing on a lake or walking through the woods. I think a lot of people never even get that experience. Or maybe some people who live out in the suburbs where they've got that opportunity don't take the time to have this kind of connection with nature. Building this connection, whether it's children or adults, is what helps us stay connected to the earth and keeps environmental concerns alive. What role do parks and recreation play in environmental concerns today? When you talk about environmental concerns, I've got to be very honest with you. I am so concerned about our youth. If we can touch them and if we can emphasize how important it is that they get along and they understand what the big picture is, the environment is going to take care of itself because they [the youth] are going to be the ones responsible enough to take care of it. But if we don't get to them and have them understand how important it is to interact with other people to find out what life is really all about and how to balance the time between play and fun and all of these other things ... if we don't do that, then we can forget about the environment. If we save the environment and the kids are dying, what's the point? So I think if you do the first things first, take care of the kids and make sure that they understand what's happening, they'll take care of the environment.

"I think we had better understand as a society and as a country that if we're going to go forward, we have to have our kids involved. We have to have an outlet for them. We have to have a place where they can go to have fun—a place where we can all go and grow together and learn together and have fun together. We need this. This is vital for our country."

An investment in park districts is an investment in life. Do you agree with this statement?

Without a doubt. It makes a lot of sense to me. I guess it's doing one thing in your life when you are dealing with people. When you're investing in buildings, when you're investing in houses, when you're investing in cars, that's one thing that's going to go away. But when you're investing in kids, when you're investing in things that are going to be around for a lifetime and will carry on, hopefully, some of the things that you have started, then you're investing in something that is very meaningful... vital.

Parks aren't just for kids. Park and recreation programs and activities, which are across the state, really run the gamut and they really can target adults.

I tell you, I had no idea of the programs that were offered to adults as well. I didn't know that the park districts were a place that adults could go and have fun. All of these programs that I am hearing they have—the skiing, the hiking, the fishing for adults—I didn't know that. You never know, I may have to go with my daughter and check some of these things out!

It is my understanding that park districts and recreation centers are for everybody—the physically challenged, parents, children and seniors—an array of people. They're just a wonderful outlet for everyone.

When you talk about open space, land is a valuable resource. Sometimes people have a tendency to want to grab public land and make it private and make some dollars. It seems to me this would be a real loss for all of us. Do you agree?

I think we had better understand as a society and as a country that if we're going to go forward, we have to have our kids involved. We have to have an outlet for them. We have to have a place where they can go to have fun—a place where we can all go and grow together and learn together and have fun together. We need this. This is vital for our country.

When you go out with your son and you're outdoors, is it a moment when you're really able to enjoy an intimate moment with him?

Any time that, not only with my son but my daughters as well, any time that we're somewhere together with nature, it is a moment that I can record in my mind forever.