More than 7. 6 million high school students played sports during the 2010-2011 school year, an increase of nearly 40,000 students compared to 2009-2010 according to usnews. com.
Why is this number so high? The benefits of playing sports are not just physical. While many students get involved in high school athletics for sheer love of the game, there are significant benefits from these extracurricular activities as well. Being an athlete teaches life lessons like teamwork and leadership. Being on a team gives students the opportunity to feel like they are important.
Playing sports helps students maintain physical fitness, and also positively affects them psychologically and socially. This needs to be stressed in schools across the country by educating parents that high school sports are more than just a game. Let's start with the physical aspect of being involved in high school athletics. Having a healthy body has many benefits. Livestrong.
com states that participation in school sports supports the healthy growth of the heart, lungs, muscles, and bones.Exercise provides long-term benefits as well, such as the reduced risk of debilitating diseases like cardiovascular disease and diabetes, reduced level of body fat, and an improved cholesterol profile. It can also result in strengthening of the bones and muscles which can help reduce risk of arthritis and osteoarthritis. According to the National Vital Statistics Reports, cardiovascular disease was the leading cause of death in the United States in 2009, higher even than cancer! With preventative measures available, parents should become aware of methods that could potentially prolong their children's life.The Center for Disease Control and Prevention includes being overweight/obesity and physical inactivity on the list of lifestyle choices that can put people at a higher risk for cardiovascular disease. Parents should realize that instilling an active lifestyle in a child at an early age can dramatically lower the chances of the child becoming overweight.
Sports should be encouraged in schools around the country in hopes of diminishing risk of cardiovascular disease and other weight-related complications. Another benefit of involvement in high school athletics is the social aspect.Students who participate in sports often build friendships with others on their team. Having a bond with another student over a common passion oftentimes creates friendships that last long after high school is over.
Another positive to high school athletics is the exposure to positive mentors. Experiences with coaches and other authority figures who teach important lessons about hard work, good sportsmanship, and respect help shape student athletes in positive ways for the rest of their lives. Speaking from an athlete's point of view, I have watched many of my coaches make the transition from instructor to friend.Parents should realize the feeling their child has when he or she knows that they have someone on their side on and off the field, is a comforting one. Student athletes are surrounded by other student athletes who often share common interests and goals. These interests and goals are less likely to include cigarettes or drugs.
Dr. David Geier found a survey performed by the National Household Survey of Drug Abuse that showed that the students who played sports were less likely to have smoked cigarettes or used drugs and were more likely to disapprove of others using them.At my school, I have noticed that students who are athletes realize that smoking cigarettes makes it hard to be a competitive player. My friends who do not participate in sports do not fully recognize the consequences of cigarettes, leaving them with more room to experiment with the hazardous habit. More parents should know that positive influences can offer more restraint in avoiding risky behavior in students. When a student plays well and wins a game, he or she gains a sense of accomplishment which helps build self-esteem.
Boys and girls who play sports are more likely to have more positive body images than those who are sedentary.Participating in sports is associated with higher levels of self-esteem, motivation, and overall psychological well-being. Alyssa Shaffer writes in Fitness Magazine that while one is working out, or playing a sport, motivation is at its peak. Shaffer says this is due to a flood of endorphins, which makes one feel psyched and energized. On a personal level, when I finish a race, I feel proud. My confidence crests when I hear my teammates cheering me on.
There is no greater feeling than when one feels they have done their very best.Therese Borchard found that running "nurtured self-esteem: the process of pushing yourself to a place you didn't think you could go, and then all of sudden you are there, at the spot where your family and friends greet your sweaty self. And that sensation of triumph, the athletic high after an event, drives you toward others. " Having confidence can change a student's outlook on life. If parents became conscious of the emotional benefits their child could gain, they would be more likely to support them being active in a sport.
Teachers and other student influences need to promote the academic benefits of playing a sport in high school.Lee S. Sitkowski found that grade-point averages decreased after the sporting season had been completed which provides evidence that participating in sporting activities does have an impact on the GPA scores for students. Having a high GPA when graduating high school is often a predictor of later success, whether it be in college, a career, or a contributing member of society. Sports Illustrated reported a 1987 survey revealed 95% of Fortune 500 managers at or above the level of executive vice-president had participated in sports during high school.This is a direct correlation that shows sports and being successful go hand in hand.
Mercury News, during an interview with a student athlete, found that academics were as much a priority to her - and many other student athletes - as was her sport. She also said that the secret to balancing academics and sports was time-management and self-discipline. The desire to succeed creates a motivated person in and out of the classroom. High school sports are not solely based on winning; they teach students good values through competition.
All in all, high school athletics are a great way for a student to learn teamwork, responsibility, sportsmanship, hard work, and success, not only on the field, but in the classroom and community as well. When people support student athletes in hopes of teaching them that they cannot give up and they have to work hard, only good can result. Representing peers, community, and school has an incredible positive effect on young persons. High school sports can help one work towards a varsity spot in an undefeated season in the game of life.
