Sports is a prominent culture in high school as it is a vessel for friends to come together with one common goal: cheer the team on to a win! However some see it as a waste of one’s time that can go towards something else “important” like studying or homework. Michelle Taboada, a senior, lives the life as a student athlete here and wants to give insight on how important high school sports are to people.

How has high school sports affected your life in the short term?

“Softball changed how I planned my daily routine. It made me think twice about what actions I wanted to take throughout the day, like what kind of food I wanted fueling my body and how I managed my spare time, which are habits that will positively impact my future.”

What do High School sports mean to you?

“Softball is one of the biggest commitments I’ve made so far. Being in this sport prepares me to be a loyal and hard worker in the future. It’s like practice for how I want to be in the future with my career, but I also get to play the sport I love, so it means the world to me.”

How did you start playing your high school sport?

“I’d been playing softball since 6th grade, so it only made sense to try out for the softball team when I started high school.”

Do you see yourself pursuing the sport in the future or directly after high school?

“I plan to leave my softball career with my high school career. As much as I love the sport, I want to shift my focus onto my zoology career and have more time for bigger responsibilities.”

What has being on a high school team taught you through the years?

“Softball has taught me to look at the bigger picture since this program is bigger than me. It also taught me that you don’t need to change anything about yourself to feel part of the team if you’re in the right place.”

Do you recommend trying out for a sport to anyone who hasn’t tried or is against trying?

“If you don’t try at least once, you won’t know the possibilities and lessons that could come to enrich your future, so I recommend everyone try out for a sport at least once!”

            William Jansen, a senior and a student athlete in wrestling also thinks sports matter.

          “I think high school sports are very important for students because they can change people completely. As [my] wrestling coach, Coach Demarchi, [says] ‘we are building better people’, and that’s the whole point of wrestling. It definitely builds friendships and also builds muscle and gets you already started on a good path for health and fitness.So yes, I think if anybody out there has the free time and wants to join a sport, I think 100% wrestling is a great sport to join and sports in general do help.”

          Why should people start respecting sports here?

          “People should respect sports because everybody puts in a lot of work, especially wrestling. You work hard on your craft and you have to master the techniques. There’s also always the risk of injury in any sport so there’s always that aspect on top of all the hard work and long hours .”

That’s a new perspective on the debate on whether sports are important, especially when it comes to sports in high school.