The Importance of High School Sports
Updated: Jul 29, 2021
In conversation with student-athlete, Krish Sharma
By Riya Kapoor
For many student-athletes, their sport is their motivation, passion, and escape from reality. Not only does playing a sport refine a teenager’s athletic performance, it also guides them to learn skills pertaining to leadership, compassion, teamwork, and others. Athletics can build proficiency in students, but it has also been proven that sports release tension and increase energy; which is one of the multiple physiological benefits. Others include lowering anxiety levels, increasing concentration, and creating a better sense of self confidence and self-worth.
In an interview with student-athlete Krish Sharma, who attends The Community School of Naples, Florida, Sharma went into detail about how lacrosse positively developed his personality. “The most valuable skill I learned is leadership. When playing a team sport, there are various instances where you need to step up and be a good role model, friend, and teammate all at the same time,” Sharma described. Besides leadership, another asset to playing a team sport is respect. Sharma elaborated on his respect for his coach and other teammates in saying, “You need to learn how to respect people that are better, older, and stronger than you. You have to put trust in your team and coach...otherwise you can’t function.”
As we all know, COVID took a toll on all parts of life this year, but high-school sports in particular were impacted tremendously. Many high-school seniors took the hit of the pandemic by having their last high school season taken away from them. Sharma went in depth on his lacrosse season right before the pandemic hit by explaining how his coach, Coach Keith Lee, encouraged them to “play their hearts out” in case it was their last game. “We didn’t know what was going to happen but we played with everything we had that game.” When it was later found out that the 2020 lacrosse season was cancelled, the seniors of the Community School of Naples were devastated. For some of them, this was the last sports game they would ever play. “It really took a toll on everyone’s mental health. All I wanted to do was get back out there and play again”, said Sharma.
Not only does playing a sport teach you your strengths, but it also exhibits your weaknesses. For Sharma, his most prominent weakness was scoring with his left hand. “I did not let this stop me, instead, I was on the field everyday throwing with my left, getting better”, stated Sharma. One of the most important lessons playing a highschool sport can teach adolescents is that through weakness, resilience shines.
All in all, highschool sports contain many benefits and lessons that are important for teenagers to carry though their adulthood. It is a privilege that many overlook to have easy access to teams and equipment. Organizations such as Goodsports help this problem by raising money for youth sports organizations that don’t have basic gear and equipment to play. It is important to contribute to these causes so that children in underprivileged areas are able to have the same access and physiological benefits, regardless of their financial situation.
MORE INFORMATION FOR GOODSPORTS.ORG HERE:
