An average day for freshman football player Greyson Felner consists of an eight hour school day, three hour sports practice, two hour homework load, and maybe, if he has time, an one or so hour block of free time. However, these are just statistics, and they vary far and wide depending on the particular student. This then begs the question: How does a student manage both school and sports? What are their universal thoughts and worries and joys in relation to this? When asked, each student athlete is more than capable of listing a slew of joys they experience in relation to being on a high school sports team. Emily Calhoun, a Freshman on the Varsity Volleyball team, laughingly admitted that, ”It's nice to be known around school.” She also took the time to explain that being an athlete in high school is probably the best experience she could ever have because her teammates became something like a second family. Calhoun, however, is not alone in her opinion. Freshman cross country runner Clark Bowden also stated that, “I loved running cross country. It helped me get through the first part of high school and I had a ton of fun.” These opinions are neither limited to person, nor are they limited to age. Senior Joel Choi says of golf, “It's a very time consuming sport [golf], but if you put in the right practice, it's very rewarding.” Even coaches understand the significant role that being on a sports team plays in the life of a student athlete. Madison Varsity Golf coach Derrick Rauenzahn denoted that, “... athletes find sports fun and enjoyable, and they actually reduce stress, and increase healthy social skills.” Nonetheless, along with these joys come consequences that many student athletes struggle to deal with. Many sacrifice... ... middle of paper ... ...deal about organization and time management. He recounted how playing sports helped develop him as a professional adult. “A lot of it comes down to students’ grit. It is well known that sports, and other extracurriculars such as band, chorus, and drama, help foster students’ grit development.” added Coach Rauenzahn in congruence with what being a successful student athlete boiled down to. Being a student athlete, although rigorous and strenuous, is completely worth the time and effort, because in the end, what is acquired from a high school sports experience is substantially more than meets the eye. A game that one loves becomes the foundation from which vital life skills are honed and gained. “There has never been something I have been more proud to be a part of. I am sincerely grateful and blessed to be a Madison student athlete.” Amber Liu (Varsity Golf, ‘16).
When I was accepted into the University of Oklahoma, I was not aware of the tradition or prestige that the football team carried. Moreover, I had no idea about the honor it was to don the crimson and cream in the arena of athletics. And, I never envisioned rooming with them. I enjoyed sports, but I loved reading and writing more. Initially, I was focused on building a collegiate career that one day would propel me to my goal of studying law. Yet, the more time I spent interacting with the athletes, the more parallels I noticed between their personalities and mine. Their diligence, perseverance and compassion were all traits that I could identify with since they were reflective of me. For the most part, the majority of the athletes were hungry to achieve and they desired knowledge at all costs; a combination that still resonates with me today.
Playing a school sport enables you to bond with your teammates, making lifelong friends. Sports are fun and thrilling; they help kids get into shape. For years now there have been kids who play sports who also are very good in academics. Sports help kids get organized and teach them to balance their school work with sports. The article to start all the buzz about no sports in high school is written by
He begins with putting an emphasis towards a great coach and what he or she has to offer. He believes that a coach can have a huge impact on a child’s life. He adds that a coach can be a great role model for athletes and teach them beneficial life skills. Stallworth believes that a strong coach and a committed athlete can go a great distance together and can achieve more than imaginable. He states that there is so much to be learned and much of it is not offered in an actual classroom. Stallworth uses “teamwork, responsibility, perseverance, [and] accountability” as examples of life skills that are learned through athletics. Stallworth does agree with Ripley that school is needed for basic skills, however, Stallworth believes that sports offer numerous amounts of skills that will benefit the athletes in their current and future life. Another aspect of his article portrays that sports are more than about winning, they allow children to “step out of their comfort zones and challenge themselves.” Much of his writing explains what many people overlook when considering children and
All college students sitting in classrooms today face challenges that can impede their success. A challenging course schedule, competing demand for the student’s time, and college readiness are all factors that can hinder a student’s performance in the classroom. Moreover, these challenges also have the ability to impact the student’s overall student development. While most students share a common set of stressors, there are certain groups on campus that face pressures and challenges that are not shared by the majority of their peers. Student athletes are such a group. Joshua Watson (2005) noted the positive benefits of participating in intercollegiate activities, but also noted that such participation can lead to issues of “maladjustment, emotional illness, and psychological distress” (p. 442).
...o the student athlete from an educational and athletic performance standpoint. He believes that this would be an adequate compromise of the argument on high school athletes going pro. This article gave me insight on a solution to the "high-school athletes going pro" debate.
High school sports are approached with clashing opinions. Some of these opinions are positive, and supportive of athletics. “Athleticism, among many activities, offers teens a physical outlet to exert their troubles, anger, emotions, and other feelings” (Chen 1). This can be observed in nearly all of the football players in Friday Night Lights. This can also be noticed in the world today. “Athletics help high school students understand their own abilities and talents” (Chen 1). This piece of evidence is very accurate when describing high school athletes. Sports can make a high school student humble. As can be seen by the preceding information, high school athletics can have a positive impact on a student’s life.
High schools sports have been around for many years. High schools offer many different sports such as, football, basketball, volleyball, lacrosse, and soccer. Sports are a great way students get involved in school. High school teams have many different levels. The levels are varsity, junior varsity, and freshman. High school sports encourage competition and school spirt. Although joining a sport takes great effort, time commitment, and personal sacrifices, valuable lessons can be learned.
Not only can sports teach you great life characteristics, it can also get you into a good college. Student athletes in high school dream of getting scholarships for the sport th...
According to Sheed, “Schools and colleges also teach something by their very natures, which is that you are now playing for a whole community and not just yourself” (498). Typically, what Sheed is saying is that sports have brought peers, schools, students, and even communities together to share and engage in one thing they love, sports. The people that are not even engaged in the physical aspect of sports are still brought together. They are able to cherish their favorite teams and show pride as their team endures the road to glory.
Forbes, 30 January 2014. Web. 29 April 2014. Gutting, Gary. “The Myth of the ‘Student-Athlete’.”
Colleges demand a well-rounded resume that students are trying to fulfill so they can get accepted to the college or university they desire most. “We know schools and families are embedded in society and are responding to its changing requirements and demands, with respect to the competitiveness to the college admissions process, the kinds of skills needed to succeed in the workforce, and even uncertainties in the global economy” (NYU Study Examines), in a study, students from a big university admit to finding that students are becoming more stressed out because of college pressures while still in high school. Colleges are trying to find the students that can succeed in both academics and extracurricular activities. Once students get into college, student athletes can buy a book written by Carl I. Fertman appropriately titled Student Athlete Success – Meeting the Challenges of College Life, to help organize their priorities with their busy schedule. This is a work book that allows the college athletes relate to other college athletes that feel the same way they do. College has its own set of challenges that high school students usually do not face, so this book would help the students cope with these new challenges. In the first section, there is a heading that is labeled “What Student-Athletes Say” with a list of common quotes from student athletes themselves. For example “Sometimes I feel like student athletes have extra pressure and greater expectations placed on them than other students. Everyone knows who we are and people are looking at us to catch us doing something wrong”. (2), which shows how students that do participate in sports feel as though they have added pressure because they are so well known in most cases. Although they do commit to being more known than a regular student when they join a sports team, it is often not fair to the
For decades there has been a debate on student athletes and their drive to succeed in the classroom. From the very beginning of organized college level athletics, the goal to want to succeed in athletics has forced students to put academics to the back burner. In spite of the goal to want to succeed over a hundred years of attempts to check limits of intercollegiate athletic programs on colleges' academic standards still seems to struggle to this day. This brings to surface one of the most asked questions in sports, “What effect does college sports have on academics and economics?” Herbert D. Simons, Derek Van Rheenen, and Martin V. Covington, authors of “Academic Motivation and the Student Athlete” researched the topic on whether athletics and academics benefit each other. Bryan Flynn, the author of “College Sports vs. Academics” poses the question “Should institutions of higher learning continue to involve themselves in athletic programs that often turn out to be virtual arms races for recruiting talented players who bring big money and prestige, but put academics to the back burner?” Although both authors agree that sports have an impact on an athlete’s academics, the focus of their argument differs.
Sports can help many at- risk youths. In order to participate in sports you need to be committed and willing to work hard. You also have to learn to respect others and accept that winning isn’t the only measure of success. Losing can build character as well. When youth participate in a sports they enjoy, they are less likely to engage in behaviors that are harmful or dangerous to themselves and others. It is for these reasons schools should strive to maintain athletic programs for their students.
Sports programs have been an integral part of all schools. They support the academics of the school and therefore foster success in life. These programs are educational and help produce productive citizenship. They help students experience and build skills that may help them in their future, like interpersonal and time management skills. Education may kindle the light of knowledge, but sports help to maintain the proper physique. Sports are also an important means of entertainment and a use for energy after long hours of study. Sports increase a student’s performance not only in the classroom but also in their life.
and current coach that playing sports builds social skills and feeling valued of the team because