Playing Sports is

PAGE 0043 Playing Sports is FUNdamental

A WELL-ROUNDED ATHLETE SHOULD PLAY MULTIPLE SPORTS. Words | Jackson Young

At Geneva, everything is done with excellence. From school to sports to church to family, you are encouraged to be your very best in every aspect of your life.

But sometimes, it can be a lot to try and balance all these things at once, and something always seems to get cut off the list. Because sports tend to fall at the end of these four priorities, people tend to take a season off or decide not to play a sport in order to focus on other things. However, playing multiple sports has benefits that not many people realize.

For one, studies have shown that sports help you focus in school. Sports require memorization, repetition and learning, all of which play directly into the classroom. Geneva also has a strict academic probation rule that keeps people from playing sports if they fail a class. This gives people motivation to really pay attention in class in order to not let their team down.

Another thing that sports teach is punctuality. For every single practice, game, team meeting, etc, players have to show up early and on time or risk losing playing time. This skill helps students in their sports as well as teaches them to be on time for school, church and any other place they need to be.

For me, sports like football and basketball have really helped me plan ahead and get into a routine. I know I have to set aside time to do my homework, and use that time wisely while avoiding distractions. And because I am in sports year round, it forces me to keep that routine and that discipline. If you don’t have a routine, or maybe a little too much free time, it makes it hard to focus.

Another benefit achieved from playing multiple sports is that skills and athleticism cross over from sport to sport. All the weight lifting in football, all the agility and coordination from basketball and all the speed and endurance from track combine to help me in every sport I play. In fact, one of the main reasons I do track is to help me with performance in football and basketball.

But most importantly, it should be fun! If you’re not having any fun in a sport, then it is understandable to want to invest time elsewhere. But ultimately, getting involved in multiple sports may be in your best interest.