Sports: More Than an Extracurricular

West Clermont Middle School, most students play at least one sport. Sports are only seen as an afterschool activity. Many people think that sports can have a negative impact on the life of student athletes at this school as they may cause kids to not pay attention in school or cause them to not have time for work. People say that sports also put pressure on parents, and can lead to overscheduling. But there are ways that these can be prevented, so are they just excuses? Or can sports really be beneficial?

Both of us have experiences with being student athletes. I(Molly) have done soccer, track and dance. Currently I dance on Mondays, and will play soccer when the spring season starts. These sports have helped me with important skills while also being activities I can do when I need to relieve stress. I (Addy) have done cheer, volleyball,and basketball. I’m not doing them currently because they are over but they have taught me things I would not have learned in school as well. They have also helped me learn about my body’s needs, life skills,and build characteristics you need.

A few things that the West Clermont MIddle school could do to improve the student athlete experience is upgrading the track by using a material better for running and adding areas for field events. Better material for the football field, how long has it been since these things have been remodeled or given a lift? The school could also remove unnecessary clubs to make new ones that would be more beneficial for example the crochet club.. Or the jump rope club, yes they may be interesting to some, but adding a popular sport like soccer or baseball would really improve the experience for student athletes.

Unless you are doing a group project in school, you don’t always learn collaboration and teamwork. But in sports you are forced to play on a team and to learn it. This is important because it can help you handle different people, their lifestyle(s), and opinions, and come out of being antisocial and introverted.To explain even further, it can help you start speaking effectively, help assisting others, and build strong relationships.

Sports can help student athletes to develop important life skills like discipline, time management, leadership, and resilience. Sports can help you learn discipline. When you do what your coach wants the team to do and you know to listen while the coach is explaining a practice drill or a game plan, you can easily learn to behave better. Sports can also help with being a leader when you would need to help one of your teammates or give advice. They can help with time management and teach athletes how to make time for school work after practices or games.

A skill that can be CRUCIAL during your life is setting goals and managing time. This is crazy and could mess up your pass. In basketball you have to know when to shoot the ball or it could mess up your plans on winning. Setting goals go hand in hand, you can’t have one but not the other. Furthermore sports could be your career, they can really impact your college application(s) and can form your lifestyle.

Sports help a lot with the mental and physical health of athletes. When you practice a sport, stress can be relieved. When you become active and exercise, a chemical in your body called endorphins are released. Endorphins are the body’s natural painkillers. They can relieve pain and make the body stronger. Endorphins can also improve your mood and take away stress. Sports can also help with building up confidence. Encouragement from teammates and coaches can make athletes feel better about themselves.

In conclusion, sports can be very beneficial for students. Though they are only seen as an after school activity, they are much more than that. Sports are a learning experience, a way to be healthy, and a cure to boredom. So, despite what many say about sports being unneeded or a waste of time and money, they are more than just an extracurricular and something to do after school.