A new sport for DD 12

Trampolining

does her cycling club not do cyclo cross in winter? we are in peak cyclo cross season now. she could also explore track cycling if there’s a velodrome near by. my kids are cycling all year round with their club .

that said cycling (and swimming) does not promote good bone density development so along side cycling she should be doing an exercise that will helps strengthen this during this period of growth as it determines the bone density in adult hood.

trampolining, climbing and bouldering, judo and other martial arts, cross country running and orienteering, circus skills, hockey, ice skating, could all be things to explore, that would be good sports to explore that don’t require early age start (and would be good for bone density) i guess it depends on what is available in your area.

My kids do ski racing at the local dry ski slope. It’s great fun and definitely tires them out. Have a look to see if your slope has a race team?

My last post went weird but around here we have
fencing
winter cycling
archery (scout leaders might have contacts)
teen membership of the local leisure centre

All of this.

Is she in a cycling club? Do they not do sessions over the winter? At 12 she is probably old enough to start TDCs now if you have any near you.

Cross is a great option if she likes getting muddy.

Or a velodrome. That is indoors. There are cluster sessions at most velodromes over the winter so she could work on getting accredited. At 12 she can also do SQTs once accredited.

Are you willing to say roughly where you are in the country. That may help.

Padel. It's new enough that most people are new to it. I read yesterday that a new court is opening every 9 hours in the UK. Lots of farms round us (Yorkshire) have converted barns and tennis clubs are sacrificing a court or two for Padel courts as they usually have a roof on so playable year round. Some have fun extras like being able to play your music just on your court.

Squash

Winter doesn’t have to be the end of cycling…

Cyclocross was invented by roadies who wanted to ride through the winter! Races start at U8 or younger. I bet there are people from her cycling club who do it in the winter.

Mountain biking? Trailquest?

Track cycling - Do you live anywhere near a velodrome? Derby, Manchester, Glasgow, Lee Valley, Newport, Hampshire?

Triathlon?

If she’s fit, I don’t think a girls grassroots football club would turn her down tbh.

DD(15) started kickboxing to keep fit in the cricket “off season” then got involved in any indoor winter league anyway!

Check the Pony Club thing - if you're rural with kids with their own ponies they'll be in a branch, not a centre (centres are at riding schools).

What about cadets? Not a sport but lots of activity around it and something to get involved in with other young people. My younger DD does it and loves it.

She could try Cheerleading, they take beginners of any age and it’s a group thing. It’s quite different to gymnastics as in they progress at a faster pace/less emphasis on précis movements at lower levels.

I was thinking boxing, very physical, uses up lots of energy, you can do lots of extra training at home like skipping or using a punch bag. Also year round sport.

Climbing is very accessible and popular with girls. Indoors and outdoors in the summer. Good for all round strength and stamina.

Join the pony club that her riding friends go to. She can start to learn about horses, do quizzes, get badges and do the Pony Club triathlons which are running, swimming and shooting, all separate events. You'll quickly build links that will help with the riding.

Athletics isn't just running. She might like one of the jumping events.

Golf? Driving ranges are fun even in winter

There's plenty of cycling goes on throughout the Winter. If her club doesn't have any winter sessions maybe try other clubs as plenty will do cyclocross in the winter,
continue road coaching on floodlit circuits or run indoor rollers sessions. If you live within reasonable travel distance of a velodrome there's a lot goes on in track cycling over the winter.

CrossFit? Weightlifting ?

Lots of gyms do have teen sessions that usually start at secondary school age so she probably could join a gym at 12 but that's not going to help that much if she prefers group sports. Apart from horse riding what has she shown an interest in? It's all well and good us suggesting sports but you need something she will actually want to do and is available in your area and at a suitable time for you to get her there.

Was going to say skating, mine does that and is still doing it at 16 which i am pleased about given that many girls give up sport. Having said that though, they progress through the stages quite quickly so you are looking at private lessons which are one on one.

If she has friends who own horses then surely learning to ride is the obvious thing? It’s usually easier to find an instructor than a horse and maybe one of the friends has a bombproof pony?