When people go into high school, they don’t immediately think about joining sports unless they’ve been in the process of participating in them already. What these people don’t know is that joining a sport during your high school years can positively influence your life mentally and physically. Not only does it make you more disciplined, it also helps your social skills with meeting new people. Sports also teach you qualities you wouldn’t learn in a normal classroom such as leadership, perseverance, and teamwork. It may be a hassle to go to practices either after or before school, but the payoff is extremely worth it considering it changes you as a person; Meranda Hernandez (‘21) agrees, saying “[Being on the Track team] really helps me be more healthy.” 

Each sport is different from each other but the skills required are usually the same. You’re going to need strength, speed, endurance, balance and power for any sport. Even when you don’t have the most of each trait, every sport will always teach you something. Diego Sanchez (‘20) had this to say when asked if sports taught him anything: “It taught me to never give up. It taught me it [isn’t] about how hard you hit, it’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward, and how much you can take and keep moving forward and that’s how winning is done.” 

Sports really teach you a lot about your character and your desire to win despite setbacks. They teach you to keep moving forward even if you’re faced with challenges and help you stay on top of your work because you want that good grade. They help you to be a leader in the classroom. There’s always one question though: 

Why do people even do sports? Michael Smith (21’) says he does them because “it’s just something I love to do. I do it to live up to my family’s past of playing sports and trying to be better than them. It benefits me a lot and it really changes your perspective on life. It can change how you act in a positive way and teach you many positive traits.” Sports just really change your life as a whole. Besides developing excellent traits to have, sports can make you feel proud or accomplished of yourself whenever you win or do good during a game. 

Although sports are not always for everyone, people should at least give it a try since there is no pressure of winning compared to professional sport groups such as the NFL, NBA and MLB. It’s going to be great when you can look back at your high school years and remember the time you won a big game with your teammates or maybe even won league. Sports in high school can really change your life, it’s really worth it to give sports a try and see if they’re for you. You won’t regret it!