The Importance of Being Involved

As a young kid, I was always nervous when putting myself in uncomfortable situations. It started in the first grade when I refused to do any afterschool activities, even with my parents begging me to do so. As my schooling went on, my involvement grew a little; I would play with friends at recess and I began to realize I had a passion for sports. In the fifth grade I thought it was time to try-out for the touch football team, and I made it on. Since then, I’ve played football every school year (including high school). I’ve also played baseball and, for some years, volleyball as well. I also went on to join my fair share of clubs. This blog post will cover the key lessons I’ve learned through my involvement in sports and activities within my school years and how it’s benefited my life. 

As most kids know, when school administration talks about extracurricular activities, the main argument is always how they can allow you to meet people and expand your social circle. This was mainly true for me in high school. In grade school and middle school, I knew most of the kids in my grade, or at least in my class.

When I got to high school, the number of kids per grade was much higher and with everyone being new, it was much tougher to meet people. In grade 9, by playing sports I was able to meet people in higher grades and build my social circle.

The great thing about this was that it raised my confidence and made it much easier to go to school. I remember being able to go to school and say hi to people older than me because of my participation. If you’re willing to put yourself out there, it can go a long way.

Many sports teach different life lessons, but one thing is always true, you can gain important life skills from being involved. Being the captain of the football team, it was my responsibility to lead my team through practices and games. I remember being down two touchdowns in a game, my team’s energy was low, and it seemed like they had already given up. As captain, I had to get people to rally around me and use grit to succeed in the game. We ended up coming back to tie the game. This moment was pivotal in my character development as I saw what leadership and grit could do for me in my own life. Football, like any sport, can teach lessons that you’ll carry with you for the rest of your life. I value what I’ve learned from sports every day.

As a young person, mental health is a big deal and I know I have to do everything to keep happy and healthy. Obviously, sports are a great way to stay in shape and physical activity releases endorphins. This means getting exercise helps you attain happiness. I remember my favourite part of the day was after practice because I was so relaxed and content and felt good with what I was doing. Getting exercise should always be a goal for people to have and I saw how much it helped me grow and keep my mental health in check.

Clubs were a great way to exercise my passions and they put me around like-minded people, which allowed me to enjoy my time. Being involved in clubs at school is bound to make you happy if you just find something you’re passionate about.

For me that was shoes. After joining “Sneaker Club” in the ninth grade, I met people that liked shoes as much as I did. This led me to be happy every day we had a meeting because we would talk about something that I enjoyed. Participating at school will help keep you happy and healthy, thus leading to a better future.

In conclusion, my experience with involvement in school activities has given me life skills and relationships I’ll carry with me for the rest of my life.