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A red digital clock on the wall had begun to count down to zero. There is an utter stillness in the air and nobody within that room was making a sound. Most of us kept our heads down and let our music prepare us for what was to come as that clock continued to run. Our coach had come into the locker room with only a few minutes before the clock hit zero. We all had studied the game plan and knew what we needed to do. As a result, his message to us was short “Gentlemen, we have put in the work, travelled thousands of miles, we are ready. So lets go out there and leave it all out on the court.” After coach finished his speech we performed our pregame rituals before there was a knock on the locker room door. An official greeted us as we made our way into the tunnel. The distance from the locker room to the court was one of the longest walks that I have ever made. With every step …show more content…
Our daily schedules can consist of practice, workouts, rehab, film study, and then our academic studies. Without effective time management athletes can crumble educationally which leads to the stereotype that surrounds us. However, going into my first collegiate season I had come to terms with the fact that my volleyball career had now been assigned a four shelf life. Knowing that, I made it a personal goal to heavily invest in my academic career. I decided to pursue a relatively demanding major, History with a Secondary Education minor, ignoring the fact that many advisors and counselors informed me that this program would be near impossible to pursue in four years while playing a sport. I am pleased to say that I will graduate this spring with my degree in History and my minor, and license, in Secondary Education. Though volleyball itself did not educate me in the formal sense, the sport itself showed me how to truly go after the goals I set for myself and effectively manage my time in order to be
Joes High School’s total enrollment consisted of sixteen girls, and twenty boys. Ten of the boys that had enrolled there played basketball. All of the boys were over six feet tall. Lane Sullivan, the new coach of the basketball team, had never even touched a basketball before he started coaching. Sullivan had never coached anything at all before he started coaching the Joes basketball team. In order to gain knowledge about the sport, he got a book about it. He started coaching in 1927, but before the 1928 basketball season, Joes High School didn’t even have a gym. Instead, they’d practice outside on a dirt court, and two times a week they’d take a bus to the nearest gym, which was ten miles away. In order to play home games, the boys had to play in the local dance hall. The “court” was nowhere near regulation size, and the ceiling was so short that the boys couldn’t shoot an arched shot. The people who attended these basketball games had no place to sit and watch the game, the all stood around the edges of the court and on the small stage. Joes High School finally got their own gym around Christmas time because the people of Joes donated their time and material in order to make it happen.
All college students sitting in classrooms today face challenges that can impede their success. A challenging course schedule, competing demand for the student’s time, and college readiness are all factors that can hinder a student’s performance in the classroom. Moreover, these challenges also have the ability to impact the student’s overall student development. While most students share a common set of stressors, there are certain groups on campus that face pressures and challenges that are not shared by the majority of their peers. Student athletes are such a group. Joshua Watson (2005) noted the positive benefits of participating in intercollegiate activities, but also noted that such participation can lead to issues of “maladjustment, emotional illness, and psychological distress” (p. 442).
It is very clear that college athletes are very devoted and committed adults. It is also very easy to see that these young adults are swamped with practice and game schedules. Many people don’t realize exactly how much time is devoted to practices. An article by O'Shaughnessy (2011) provides a run down of how much time each athlete puts into different sports. Division I baseball players spend 42.1 hours a week practicing on the field.(O'Shaughnessy, 2011) Divi...
Student-athletes face many of the same pressures as their non-athlete counterparts academically. Many carry a full course load that is tightly regimented by someone other than them and they are unable to drop below 12 credits otherwise risk losing their NCAA eligibility. For many student-athletes the time they put into a sport is comparable to having a 30-40 hour a week job (Brown, Glastetter-Fender & Shelton, 2000; Schroeder, 2000; Simons, Van Rheenen & Covington, 1999). A student-athletes daily schedule (when in season) may consists of attending classes, practice, weight training, visiting the tra...
Each game, my passion grew. Each team, new memories and lifelong friends were made. Sports sometimes make me feel disappointment and at loss; but it taught me to be resilient to a lot of things, like how to thrive under pressure and come out on top. Being the team captain of my high school’s football and lacrosse team showed me how having a big responsibility to bring a group together to work as one is compared to many situations in life. Currently playing varsity football, varsity lacrosse, and track I take great pride in the activities I do. Staying on top of my academics, being duel enrolled at Indian River State College, working three nights a week, and two different sport practices after school each day shaped my character to having a hard work
Volleyball represents my most meaningful commitment not just because I have invested so much into it, but also because it it’s a passion of mine and has been a part of my life since elementary school. The impact my coaches and teammates have had on my life has helped make me the confident and determined individual I am today. Volleyball also takes up a lot of time and there are many sacrifices that come with the sport and playing on a team. To keep up my skills, I have had to give up a lot of my free time and parts of my summer. Balancing school with practices was also a challenge, but participating in one of my passions made it worthwhile. I have persevered through difficult times and learned new lessons along the way, so there is nothing that could make this sport less meaningful to me. (148)
This semester has been really tiring. It has been really stressful for me lately with all my classes. It is hectic preparing for finals, finishing up end of the year projects, as well as practicing for state soccer. It is not easy being a 4.0 student athlete. It’s probably the most stressful thing for a high school student. Some people think that the athletes have it easy but they don’t. We have to work hard to earn our spot. We constantly have sports as well as school on our mind. It is especially hard for someone who wants to become a college athlete. They are trying to do everything possible to become the best athlete possible. They are in the weight room a lot trying to become stronger. Some may even have more than one sport to go to in one night. Going from the weight room to school to one sport practice to the other and then home to do homework is enough to overwhelm someone. You would think that the work load would start to slim down towards the end of the year but not in Mr. McGee’s Honors English. Of all the texts we have read this semester, my favorites are Carry Your Own Skis by, Lian Dolan Arthur Ashe by John McPhee, and Dreams by Langston Hughes.
Sports can help many at- risk youths. In order to participate in sports you need to be committed and willing to work hard. You also have to learn to respect others and accept that winning isn’t the only measure of success. Losing can build character as well. When youth participate in a sports they enjoy, they are less likely to engage in behaviors that are harmful or dangerous to themselves and others. It is for these reasons schools should strive to maintain athletic programs for their students.
Many children that are actively involved in sports are looking to have fun and ensure a sense of belonging with peers. The youth of a community are able to gain new friendships in an exciting and pleasurable atmosphere, in the mean time improving skills and enjoying an active lifestyle. Children have the need to feel wanted and appreciated by others, whether it being a teammate, a coach, a friend, or family members. A positive atmosphere is needed for a child have a successful experience in a sport or activity. Without all these attributes a child may feel neglected and believe they have little or no value to a team. Over a course of time children drop out of an activity because there is no excitement left in the sport. This is because sports now focus on competition and winning rather than enjoyment of an activity. “[Throughout] childhood, boys overwhelmingly identify athletic ability as a determinant of social status among their peers, while girls tend to focus on appearance for peer acceptance.” (Adler, Kless, & Adler, 1992, p.170) The sport then becomes more stressful and uninteresting to youth members, as there is now pressure to be the best. Youth find it easier to give up on a sport rather than to try. The negativity that a sport projects can cause a child to no longer resume participating in other dynamic activities, children will feel unsuccessful and incompetent with all other activities. The majority of children and youth drop out of active sports and recreation because of a loss of fun, lack of success and/or excessive pressure from parents and coaches.
Athletic programs have been a part of colleges for many years. It has led to most big name schools being popular because of these successful athletic programs. They draw in and attract students. They have the ability to create an atmosphere that nothing else can, while bringing an entire student body together. Athletic programs also allow for students to receive an education that typically would not be able to. Athletic programs are beneficial to colleges.
High school is short time period in our lives that allows us to find our identity, discover our beliefs, and grow as a person. I have experienced numerous encounters in high school that have shaped me into who I am today and have ultimately prepared me for college. However, I believe that learning to balance the different aspects of my life while in high school is what has positively prepared me the most for college. I have always taken Pre-Ap and Ap courses in school. Along with these classes comes an overwhelming amount of responsibility and homework. I was also a member of my schools’ varsity volleyball team for three years. Being invested in this team required long practices, late game nights, and weekend tournaments. In addition to volleyball, I pursued my faith.
...ft," Coach said as we hurried out of the health room. She was right. There was only half the time left. Warm ups seemed to fly by, and before I knew it there were only 35 seconds left on the clock. Murray's team had already headed for the bench for their coach’s last second instructions. "Let's bring it in girls," yelled Coach Moore from our bench. We all ran over not wanting to miss any important last minute words of wisdom from Coach. "OK, starters check in, you know who you are. As I have said, they are about equal in ability with us. We need to go out there and play our hearts out tonight, girls. Enjoy this, it is your last home game this season," Coach said. With that the Ref. blew his whistle to signal the start of the game. I, with the rest of the starters, walked out onto the court and got ready for the tip off, knowing I was completely prepared for the game.
Down two with six seconds to go fatigue had taken it tolls on the players. With little energy left; over time was not an option. I knew I had to go for the win. I walk on the floor confident of my ability that was until the whistle blew quickly turning my confident to butterflies. As I fought to get open I quickly saw the ball coming my way. As I rose for a jump shot time itself began to stay still. An in flesh everything became silent. As I watch the ball leave my hand I envisioned greatness; sure the ball was on its way in I started to celebrate that was until I hear the announcer say my teammate tip in miss shot to win us the game. Mix with emotion I celebrate with my teammate. “Ok guys, we have 24 hours until tip off. Get some rest because this is going to be the biggest game of your life. Let’s bring this championship back to Barton College. Go Bulldogs and Goodnight!” Why few players stay in the lobby to hang out I took it talk upon to work on my game and reflect on the semifinal game that just took place. At basketball games you will notice how there are all sorts of fans attending the game.
Jeff Kemp, a retired professional NFL quarterback, once stated, “Sports teach positive lessons that enrich America even while revealing its flaws” (Kemp). Athletics offer so much more than the joy of game day and the thrill of a win. Being involved in sports holds the key to a world filled with passion, excitement, and once in a lifetime opportunities. There is nothing better than seeing the student section arrive in full force or hearing the school fight song chanted before kickoff. However, when life moves on and leaves sports behind, the lessons it has instilled in athletes never disappears. The play calls may be foggy and the jersey will be too tight, but what was innocently learned in the jersey shines out at an older age. Although life lessons can be learned through everyday activities, lessons such as teamwork, self-confidence, and dealing with failure are only truly learned through sports by young athletes.
Sports have different significance, implication, and symbolic meaning to different classes, and categories of gender, people, societies, communities, religion, countries, and fans. (Carter 2002). Bairner (2001) recognises that both gender and class play important roles in the formation of a particular version of a national identity. Sports nationalism and citizenship is used by nations to stamp their authority and to advertise their countries to the world. This is also to enlighten other nations that states is more than just national governments (Besnier and Brownell 2012). Foucault (1977, 1978) theorised that understanding the global landscape of sports with greater awareness of the state goes beyond national governments.