Spring Sports Update Soccer, track and lacrosse Brookside Soccer Students participate in co-ed intramural soccer Extra Curricular Sports Summer sports outside of Sion

SPORTS Alternative Outlets

Students find athletic opportunity in noncompetitive teams, recreation leagues and premier clubs outside of Sion sports.

Summer Sports BY SOPHIE NEDELCO REPORTER

Forty percent of students will not participate in a Sion sport, according to Athletic Director Reynold Middleton. Some of these students commit to other activities or sports not offered at Sion: rowing, ballet, horseback riding, for example. Others simply don’t enjoy sports and have other priorities. Yet, some of these students play the exact sports offered during the school year, but also choose to participate in them outside of school.

Whether it’s a casual recreational team or competitive club setting, students are looking beyond the Storm for an athletic outlet.

“If someone’s looking for a rec league, and they just want to go and have fun, I would encourage that. Because athletics is a great thing. It doesn’t always have to be the top level competitive,” Middleton said. “I think there’s huge benefit to [playing competitive and for Sion] but at the same time, there’s a huge benefit to just having fun.”

This is the goal of the Catholic Youth Organization. According to cyojwa.org, CYO intends to organize and support athletic activities for youth as well as encourage good sportsmanship.

“CYO is a great way to get exercise, be with your friends and have fun,” sophomore Taylor Downs said. “We just show up to games on the weekends so you definitely have more time on your hands. For Sion, you have to practice every day and you have multiple games.”

According to senior Isabel Grojean, the substantial commitment of school sports is difficult to balance with homework and extracurriculars. A summer swim team is another alternative to the intensity of high school sports.

“My neighborhood is a really kid-friendly neighborhood, and it’s a way to get to know the teenagers and hang out with them,” senior Julie Steilen, who swims on Deer Creek’s summer team, said. “I’ve made a lot of friends throughout the years from that.”

Similarly, previous friendships, an almost a decade-long commitment and a difference in dance style leads juniors Mary Claire Muehlebach and Delaney Dorman to favor The Pulse Performing Arts Center over the Sion dance team.

“Sion dance team is more like the sport of dance, and The Pulse is more focused on the art of dance,” Dorman said. While students such as Muehlebach and Dorman have different expectations for a team than Sion offers, other reasons that students turn from high school sports to the laid-back, fun atmosphere and reduced stress levels that come with noncompetitive teams aren’t necessarily the ideal for a serious athlete.

“If [students] are playing noncompetitive only because they’re afraid to try out for the school team, and they’d rather be in a competitive situation, I’d say they need to try out for the school team,” Middleton said.

Many competitive clubs such as Sporting Blue Valley Premier Soccer Club are year-round, but take a break during the high school season to allow students to play for their individual school teams. The college recruitment process for an athlete can be dependent on both the athlete’s performance on a competitive club team as well as on their high school team, according to junior Stephanie

Ostrander.

Through participating in a high school sport, the opportunity to interact with people outside of an immediate friend group opens up. Academic promises open up as well: students who play a sport are more likely to complete more years of education and achieve higher grades, according to truesport. org.

“Swimming for Sion makes it easier to meet people, especially as a freshman, and you build closer friendships,” freshman Sarah Schaffer said.

Nevertheless, there is a benefit in keeping active whether playing for the Storm or a club team.

Participation in sports promotes a sense of acceptance and teamwork, improving social skills and encouraging lasting friendships. Participation also supports better health, a lower risk of negative influences and a higher level of self-esteem and confidence, according to livestrong.com

“When I was growing up, girls didn’t have the opportunities you have now. I had high school friends, girls, that would’ve loved to have been able to do some of the things you guys do and they weren’t allowed,” Middleton said. “Appreciate that you have the opportunity.”

Brookside Soccer BY GEORGIA EVANS LAYOUT EDITOR

For many preschool to grade school girls who grew up in Brookside or areas around it, Brookside soccer was just part of the springtime routine. A girl and her friends would be on the same team and create the same, probably embarrassing-tosay-out-loud, team name. There was probably a schedule for the moms to all bring a snack during the halftime of every game and according to senior Meredith George, everyone knew what the consensual favorite snack was: orange slices and Capri Sun.

“The best part of Brookside Soccer in kindergarten were the snacks after every game,” George said.

According to senior Lexi Churchill, playing Brookside Soccer as a kid was good for her because she got to play a sport you liked without the commitment a club team would require.

But rejoining the Brookside Soccer League in the high school division is becoming a high school phenomenon. According to the Brookside Soccer website, all members of every team were welcome to join the annual Brookside St. Patrick’s Day Parade for their float. Throughout the season, the league allows for many fun activities like that for all the members to join in on such as “open gyms” for players to attend to practice with professional players and other sorts of clinics.

According to senior Uzoamaka Obi, playing recreation league soccer is a way to relieve stress and have fun with both her girl and guy friends. Her team is currently 1-2-1 on the scale, and it doesn’t matter to her- the goal isn’t to get goals, it’s to have fun.

“I love being able to get active with a group of my friends. It’s very easy going and fun,” Obi said.

Churchill says that Brookside Soccer is a good release from the weekly stress that senior year brings.

For most other current seniors, Brookside soccer is a way to spend time with friends that they might not see for a long time. And since most high school teams are co-ed, it allows for guy friends to play too.

“I like having guys on my team because they’re as competitive as I am, but I don’t when they become overconfident,” Churchill said.