The Valuable Lessons we gain from High School Athletes
High School Sports are fun! They are fun to play, to compete in and to watch. And they can give an extra dimension to the most important years in a teenager’s life.
There is something about High School Sports that is unique in the United States. If you are passionate about Sports and you are very talented, being a High School Athlete can even help you with a Scholarship to compete in your favorite sport in College.
High School Sports offers something for every Athlete, no matter their level of play. Besides being an Athlete, the games and competitions give High Schoolers the opportunity to be part of the student section. Rooting for your classmates or friends, alongside the Cheer squad and Band is for a lot of students a great night out!
Besides the fun part, there are many valuable lessons we gain from High School Athletes! Let me explain…
The valuable lessons we gain from High School Athletes
High School Sports Unifies
The multi diversity you find among High school Athletes is a reflection of society. The coaching staff as well as the Athletes come from different cultural and racial backgrounds. When it comes to playing sports, whether individual or team sports, as soon as practice starts, differences no longer matter. What is important is playing for the name of your school on the front of your jersey, versus the last name on your back.
“In sports, as soon as practice starts there are no more differences..."
Students who are not actively involved in High School sports can still be part of the experience. Most High Schools have students who are in band, dance and cheer and who perform at games. Not every state acknowledges competitive cheer as an official sport. Looking at all the hours of practice and performing at High School games, cheer is in my opinion validated as a HS sport. If you are interested to learn how Cheer is regulated at the HS level, you can click here for more information.
Besides the band and cheer leaders, most High School teams can also count on their student section. These are all the High School students who aren’t playing the sport but rooting their team on from the sidelines. Often, part of the section are Athletes from other sports who like to support their fellow Athlete Students.
The valuable lessons we gain from High School Athletes
Accountability and Responsibility
Another important lesson we gain from High School Athletes has to do with becoming a role model. Once you are a High School Athlete, a lot of (younger) students look up to you. Even when you are not aware of it! It can be your classmate, a sibling, a team mate or a player from your club team. This means that you should be thoughtful of your actions and behavior. The way you act during and outside your sport will be noticed. This includes your behavior on social media.
As a High School athlete, you might already know how others depend on you. Your Coach has established rules regarding being on time and wearing your school apparel. Representing your school’s sports team also means to cheer on your teammates on from the bench. Besides working on accountability and responsibility, High School Athletes also get a chance to develop leadership skills.
The valuable lessons we gain from High School Athletes
Dealing with setbacks builds character
Most Athletes in High School are going to deal with setbacks. Examples could be not making it to the varsity squad or struggling with an injury. Learning how to cope with challenges will build character. At times where you feel that you can not be a productive part of your school team, it is very important finding help from your teammates.
If you currently go through a challenging time as an Athlete, and you feel it affects your Mental Health, please look for help. It can be as simple as reading my Blogpost ‘Mental Health in Sports deserves more Attention’
In case you have teammates that are struggling or you are a parent and you would like to help them, this is a good read. Remember that almost every High School Athlete deals with an injury at some point and your sports team and Coach should feel like a safe place for you to get help. To learn about how Reppin Hoopers is an advocate for mental Health and how that works, click here.
Mini Sessions
Reppin Hoopers also offers Mini Sessions for Athletes, Sports Parents, Coaches or anyone looking for Change in his or her life. I am a licensed Life Coach and experienced Sports Coach, Sports Executive, Entrepreneur and Sports Business owner. My goal is to help you by changing the things that are hindering you from being most successfull and happy in whatever you do.
The valuable lessons we gain from High School Athletes
High School Sports has given me an extra family
High School Athletics is known for a lot of volunteering. Parents of Athletes organize special events, like launch nights, senior nights, banquets and tournaments. In order for these to take place, parents give a lot of time, effort and creativity back to the sports programs.
With the volunteering and being involved in your High School Athlete’s journey, it starts feeling like belonging to a family. As an Athlete, you learn there are extra parents who are looking out for you and care about you. Volunteering parents find joy in getting together. Besides making game days fun, friendships are being developed over High School sports.
Curious about our Courses?
Want to have a lasting impact on young athlete’s lives? Play professional sports overseas? Looking to make the daily parenting grind lighter? Check out our online courses for Athletes, new Coaches, Basketball & Sports fanatics and of course supportive Sports Parents!
The valuable lessons we gain from High School Athletes
Getting and staying involved in High School Sports
I think it is undeniable to say that there are many valuable lessons we gain from High School Athletes. Many of these lessons will cary us on beyond High School as the environment is a small reflection of society.
What I love about High School Sports is that it benefits so many more students, coaches, parents and fans than just the Athletes performing. I have personally witnessed School Principals, Assistant Principals and Athletic Directors getting out of their way to make Athletes feel special. As a parent it is very encouraging to see the support that is coming from the Administration. I honestly think that if you show parents and Athletes how much you value your school’s sports programs it works contagious. Parents are more willing to volunteer and with that, Coaches will have more help running their programs successfully!
A final note on the benefits for Athletes who play High School sports; A lot of these students turn out to be positive mentors to others. Through their work ethics learned in sports, they often have good grades. Last but not least, they know how to build and keep social relationships.
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