4 Reasons You Should Partake In High School Athletics

High school. The idea of it frightened me at first and I’m sure it scared you too. All of a sudden social life matters, good grades are crucial, and our little tween selves grow into bright adults. Nearly 4 years ago, as all these thoughts and stresses battled rigorously for my full attention, I followed the little urge to try something new and signed up for the HS Girls basketball team tryouts, knowing full well that the girls around me were going to be tough competition. To my own surprise, I made it in! And it was so worth it! There’s no doubt that high school is a bit of a hassle, but I can 100% confirm that engaging in its athletics are just as beneficial and here’s why: 

1. You get your workout in.

While working out at a gym is advised when you’re hoping to focus on a particular part of your body or aiming to improve a certain bodily process, playing a sport improves your physical state AND conditions it towards better agility, simultaneously strengthening your bones and muscles. Science has also shown that exercising through sports lowers a person’s heart rate and blood pressure, so the workout feels less strenuous than a gym session would and consequently pushes you closer towards your utmost best performance. 

2. You make friends with your team members/other teams:

Sports is always a reliable source of companionship, which could be especially useful to new students. You discover this new ability to work cohesively with others and find great satisfaction when plays unfold so seamlessly. You cry together, celebrate together, and are on a constant, gradual slope of improvement with the help of one another. Growing up in the world of school sports, you watch teammates and rivals alike grow older; A feeling just as sweet as you’d probably imagine. 

3. You get to travel:

It all starts with the bus trips to other schools a couple minutes away. Then it turns to trips to other cities, and then flights to countries even farther away. A bus ride into the sunset after a great victory, singing along to a funky playlist with a group of people who share the same interests as you. You’ll even get to hold hands with a teammate or two on a short flight to a new country, room with said teammates in a beautiful hotel or home, and play some thrilling games against people you’ve never met before. A highly-recommended starting point to a fun HS life is right here. 

4. You learn some very important life lessons:

Waking up early for practice or staying a couple of hours after school is something we all hate the idea of, yes, but doing so indirectly teaches you the importance of time-management and commitment. No one likes waking up at 5AM, but you still do it for your own and the team’s benefit. Being able to react appropriately during a moment of annoyance in a game is also a life lesson, and another is having respect for refs, other players, coaches, etc. You don’t realize it until you find yourself in a moment of weakness, but I promise it all contributes to you as a person later on in life.