Teamwork. Team activities. Pre-games. Staying conditioned. Gaining friendship. Being coach-able. What do all of these things have in common? What I think of is a sports team. There are so many positive reasons to be on a sports team. Being able to go to practice after school and let out all your anger, frustration, confusion, and stress out on the court/field/rink is definitely worth it. I have been a part of a volleyball team at Battle Ground High School for two years now. It’s been a great experience for me. It’s given me a chance to focus on something other than computer or cellphones or food. It’s kept me in shape so I don’t have to worry about getting overweight. Being a part of a sports team is a better use of time than sitting around being lazy and I would like to share a personal experience to persuade teenagers to join sports teams and be active.. I have a personal experience that will hopefully impact your decision on whether or not to join a sports team.
Just before my freshman year of high school, I was at a dance studio dancing with my two sisters and the Academy of Ballet Arts. My mom was having us give our dance instructor, Miss Christina, cards to thank her for being our teacher. As my sisters both gave her cards thanking her for being their instructor, I realized that they were both so passionate about dancing. I, on the other hand, wasn’t very passionate about dancing at all. I was dancing because I got to be with my sisters more often. It wasn’t really my thing. In my card that I gave my teacher, I wrote:

Thank you for being such a great instructor. I’m so glad I got the chance to learn so much from you. I’ve just been realizing that I haven’t really been very interested in the dancing thing for a while. I think this is going to be my last class. I’m thinking that I'll switch to Volleyball. I’ve always been really interested in that. My height would help too. Thank you for being my teacher though :) it’s been great getting to know you. Hope your studio flourishes and keeps growing! Have a great year!

Your Student,

Emily

After talking to my teacher, I went to a couple of open gyms at Battle Ground to get to know the coach and the team. I could tell at the first practice that i already felt at home. Even though I've only been a part of the team for a year and a half, it feels like I’ve been forever. With the conditioning, coaching, teamwork, learning, and fitness, it’s definitely a hard accomplishment but it is definitely worth the hard work.

Working with Coach Donovan is harder than most coaches also. There is some of the toughest conditioning of any of the girls sports. It’s certainly fun though. He uses the painted ladders on the ground that the football boys use. Coaching us through various exercises to condition our jumping and quickness, our legs sure feel like jello afterwards. Getting toned legs and the ability to jump higher and run further is worth the pain.

Responsibility and selflessness are both great traits to have. They are both helpful to have during games because then you’re not being a ball hog or a let-down to the team. I had a hard time with this my first year because I didn’t have the ambition to dive after the ball or sacrifice my unbruised hip to give my team a chance to play the ball. Through my first year of playing and this year of volleyball, I’ve learned to play more aggressively on the court and be willing to hustle and dive after every ball.

Being on a sports team can be very important and maturing for high school students. It’s certainly helped me grow through my two years of playing. It’s become a huge part of my life. I’m really glad I made the choice to switch to sports instead of dancing. If anyone asks me what I would recommend to do for an outside of school activity, I would say sports in a heartbeat. Teenagers need to involve themselves in a sports team so that they can grow and mature as a person.