The Importance Of Getting Involved – Why Sports Help You Experience and Grow

Courtesy of Sebastian Hernandez

Forward, Michael Watkins, heads down the field at a recent Verrado game.

Pierce Tuttle, Staff Writer

In school, there are a plethora of activities that numerous amounts of people participate in every day, once or twice a week, and maybe once a month. These activities are designed to help people get involved. In high school. It is important to become involved for the reason that you do not want to be someone who is seen as alone.

The great thing about these activities is, they are filled with many open people who are just like you. For example, if you liked to read and you joined a book club, the people in that club are going to get along with you very well. These activities can have a wide range and can pretty much be made into any type of club or event. Many of these activities can even result in scholarships or things when people are looking to go to college. 

Joining clubs won’t just be nice for you because you can make friends or do something that you enjoy. It will also be nice because colleges look for things like someone being in a club. One of the most eventful clubs/activities that you can join and participate in is sports. Sports are on the top of the list when it comes to the most participated in activities in the US, among high school students.

A study shows that 57% of students in high school play sports. The competitiveness and the atmosphere of sports in high school can change one’s life forever. Whether it be the impact a coach has on your life, or even maybe the impact that it has on your future, in the sense that you can go professional in a sport. Sports are by far the most important

Verrado football athletes definitely make an impact with local colleges. (Courtesy of Vernon Beard)

clubs in high school, as they produce the most leaders later in life. 

The setting of having a team around you and being able to work through adversity with a set of teammates who are all trying to achieve one goal. That is something that lots of people would look forward to. Not only this, however, but the impact a coach can have on a player’s life is also a massive part of the activity. As a coach, it is important to make sure that your players know that you are here for them. Many challenges are applied in a high school student’s life, and one thing that is always important to know is that you always have someone there for you.

And as a high school coach, it’s important to be that person there for that player. As a coach, if you can capture this it is very exceptional. Sports by far is a path that can lead to many different things in life. Studies show that people who participate in high school sports have high chances of being better at leadership, have self-confidence, or even more self-respect.

Those who do not participate in sports in school, however, are on the low end of these traits. Along with the fact that you may receive these traits over time playing sports, one can also add that sports require you to do well in school, making people more motivated to do better in school so that they are not cut from the team or

At a recent soccer game between Verrado and Sunrise Mtn. varsity girls control the ball. (Courtesy of Joel Hernandez)

not allowed to play for a week. With that being said another study showed that the people who do participate in sports in high school are generally better at school, or achieve higher grades than those who do not participate in sports.

Among large groups of athletes, they did 10% better in core classes. Math, English, Science, and history. Also,  the fourth-year academic success rate for a student-athlete rises to 88% meaning that the chance of a student-athlete completing college up to four years is up to 88%.

Another large outcome of sports is a healthy body. Many sports require you to attend workout sessions or participate in year-long training and conditioning. This of course is something that is another great outcome of sports as it is important to improve your body to the best of its ability.

Then there is the last major outcome of sports activity in high school, which is that you can receive massive scholarships, or even be awarded a full-ride scholarship, meaning you will have all four years at school provided for them in order for you to play for their sports team.

Also going pro in a sport is the biggest achievement that someone can accomplish as an athlete. Even receiving massive amounts of pay for playing. But also coaching professionally, as many teams look for ex-players to coach their teams, as said before many players learn the trait of leadership. In conclusion, it is important to participate in school activities such as sports.