From cheer to soccer it feels like I’ve done everything in between. Participating in five sports in three years is not what I expected my high school extracurriculars to look like; however, looking back, I wouldn’t change anything.
The sound of never taking a season off from sports may be overwhelming to some, yet every time one of my sports ends, I always find myself counting down the days until the next one begins.
There is a simple common denominator under all athletics: there is nothing that compares to being on a high school sports team.
It may be daunting to try out for a sport in high school, but I strongly believe that if you try, the benefits of being on a sports team are something that every student should experience.
Excluding the team aspect of sports, it’s important to understand the physical reward that exercise has on your body.
According to WebMD, as your heart rate increases, it stimulates the pituitary gland in your brain, which releases endorphins into your body.
“Endorphins trigger a positive feeling in the body and can be accompanied by a positive and energizing outlook on life.”
Aside from the health advantages, one of the greatest benefits of participating in athletics is the social aspect.
Sports always include the opportunity of meeting new people, no matter what age you are. Beginning high school on a sports team helped me gain familiarity with new people and kept me grounded through discomfort as a freshman. As I got further into my high school career, I continued to build many connections with people, who I might not have come across without sports. You never know who could become your closest friends, and they could also be helping you with the amount of success you achieve.
Many students at LFHS have felt a similar positive impact that sports have had on them.
Senior Nick Nassar’s favorite part of sports is “having a supportive group of people around me who care about me and make me better.”
During his second season as a member of the Boys Varsity Track and Field team, Nassar placed 3rd at Sectionals and conference qualifying him for the Illinois State Finals. He credits part of this to his Track and Field community.
“Lake Forest has a special group of coaches who care about their athletes and that goes a long way to how the athletes continue to care about their athletics.”
As a varsity player on the football and track and field teams sports, Nassar believes that his “high school experience would be much different and worse without sports.”
“Sports are the healthiest way of making friends, boosting mental and physical health by having good people around you who care about you while doing physical activity,” Nassar said.
Although Nassar just started his throwing career in high school, he reached the highest level.
Just recently, Nassar committed to throw at the Division 1 level at Villanova University. He is living proof of the profound impact that sports have on people as they can very easily change the course of someone’s life.
Although the sports at LFHS are high achieving, there are a variety of activities that are less competitive and more inclusive to those who aren’t as interested in being on an intense team.
“We do a nice job of having a wide range of sports at all levels that are still not watered down or less competitive,” Athletic Director Tim Burkhalter said.
As an Athletic Director, Burkhalter’s favorite part of his job is 3:30-9:30 pm, when he gets to “be on the field with the kids and the coaches and watch them do their thing.” Whether it’s a freshman team or varsity team, Burkhalter enjoys “watching the kids compete at their level and do something that they enjoy.”
If Burkhalter were given the opportunity to give one piece of advice to incoming freshmen, he would urge every student to make an effort at as many extracurricular activities that they can handle.
“Try multiple things your freshman year to find out what you like and don’t like,” Burkhalter said. “We have found that being a part of these teams can help people physically, academically, and socially.”
Sports are opportunistic in many ways. The beauty of sports is that you never know what can happen, and what you are capable of.
Being a part of high school sports shaped who I am as a person today. Sports are undeniably what I will miss most after high school, but I am proud that I took advantage of every opportunity to play.
My biggest piece of advice for students on the fence about sports is to go for it. Sports are truly a unique and special part of LFHS, and something that can have one of the biggest impacts on your high school experience.
