LEAP Committee Blog
Unified Basketball at Hermiston High – By Cate Doherty, Hermiston HS (’26)
UNIFIED BASKETBALL AT HERMINSTON HIGH – BY CATE DOHERTY, HERMINSTON HS (’26)
When was the last time you went to a sporting event where over 200 students came out to cheer on both teams? When was the last time you saw athletes who didn’t care about the score but were just grateful for the opportunity to play? When was the last time you saw an educator with 30 years of experience say that it was the best event they had ever witnessed? At Hermiston High School, we all saw this come to life this winter when we started our Unified Basketball team.
Unified Basketball is part of Special Olympics and works to create an inclusive opportunity for students with intellectual and physical disabilities. The focus of Unified Basketball is to have a fun and rewarding experience, while providing students an opportunity to participate in a high school sport. The teams are formed of three differently-abled student athletes with two player helpers, which are subbed on and off the court at five minute intervals. There is a running clock, which provides non-stop action on the court.
After being inspired at our October LEAP meeting, I spoke with our school’s Athletic Director, Larry Usher, to see what opportunities there were to connect with others through sports. He knew I volunteered with our special needs students and told me that our school was beginning a Unified Basketball team and asked if I would like to help coach. I eagerly accepted. I immediately started recruiting athletes, both with and without disabilities. I encouraged our special needs students too, I also recruited our varsity athletes to volunteer as player helpers. After a month of practice, it was time for our first game. Emotions were running high, and we had no idea how our athletes would respond to hundreds of people yelling and cheering them on. Our ASB and school administration had been actively encouraging students to pack the student section, and teachers to pack the stands, even petitioning coaches to start practices after the game so that athletes could support our Unified team.
Fitted out with brand-new Nike uniforms, our Unified athletes lined up for introductions. With a roaring crowd, they ran through a tunnel of cheerleaders to the adoring students. The best part? Our crowd cheered just as hard for the other team, with athletes from each team beaming from ear to ear. The game was action-packed, with both teams feeding off the energy of the cheering crowd full of families, students, teachers, and community members. After a very close game, our Hermiston team lost by two points, but it didn’t seem to matter to anyone. Even though we had lost, every person in the audience walked out with a smile on their face and a full, happy heart. Our athletes were ecstatic and just wanted to have another game.
Unified Basketball season was one of the high points of my high school career. On game days, when our athletes walked through the halls wearing their brand-new Nike sweatsuits, every student sincerely wished them good luck. For away games, our team was able to ride on the decked-out Hermiston “Rooter Bus.” For our final game, our main gym was packed full of community members who had heard about the amazing experience of attending a Unified Basketball game. Before the game, each player was given fresh flowers courtesy of the Hermiston FFA. While holding the flowers, both teams went in front of the student section to take a picture, which is now displayed on the windows of the main office.
Everyone who was able to attend one of our games can tell you how incredible the experience was. Our 14 athletes can tell you how impactful it was in their lives. The best part? They all made new friends and got to experience the rush of taking the court like our other varsity teams experience. Our special education teachers can tell you about the positive impact this program had on performance in class. The entire coaching staff and I can tell you how rewarding it is to coach athletes who are so excited for the opportunity to play basketball. The only downside to having a Unified Basketball team is that no sporting experience will probably ever top it.
I implore each of you to develop a Unified Basketball team in your school or community and give these differently-abled athletes the opportunity to have a quintessential high school experience. You just might find that this life-changing experience affects school spirit, the community, and you every bit as much as it does the Unified athletes.
Balancing Life, Sports, and School: A Key to Success – By Abel Garcia, Royal HS (’26)
BALANCING LIFE, SPORTS, AND SCHOOL: A KEY TO SUCCESS – BY ABEL GARCIA, ROYAL HS (’26)
High school is an exciting time filled with new challenges, opportunities, and growth. For student-athletes, finding the right balance between sports, academics, and personal life can feel overwhelming at times, but it’s also essential for success. Getting that balance right not only helps students excel academically and athletically but also supports mental well-being and personal growth.
Student-athletes often have jam-packed days with early morning practices, after-school games, late-night homework, and constant juggling of commitments. While succeeding in both sports and school can feel rewarding, it can also lead to stress and burnout if balance isn’t maintained. This is where time management becomes key. Knowing how to manage your schedule effectively can help ensure schoolwork gets done on time, while still leaving room for rest, social time, and family moments.
The Power of Mental Breaks
In all the hustle, it’s easy to forget how important it is to take mental breaks. Just like your body needs rest after a tough workout, your mind needs time to relax too. Taking regular breaks throughout the day is essential for staying sharp, reducing stress, and keeping a healthy perspective. Whether it’s stepping outside for a few minutes, listening to your favorite music, or hanging out with friends, these breaks help you recharge, refresh, and come back ready to tackle your next task.
In addition to academics and sports, looking after your personal well-being is super important. Making time for self-care—like getting enough sleep, eating well, or simply relaxing—helps lower stress and prevents burnout. Plus, stepping away from sports and school once in a while can give you the mental reset you need to perform your best both in the classroom and on the field.
Being involved in sports teaches valuable lessons, such as discipline, teamwork, and resilience. But these lessons only work if they’re balanced with schoolwork and life outside of sports. Setting realistic goals, staying positive, and staying organized are all ways to manage both school and sports successfully. Plus, having support from teachers, coaches, and teammates is crucial. When athletes are encouraged to focus on their mental and emotional health, they’re more likely to succeed across the board.
At the end of the day, learning to balance life, sports, and school gives students an important life lesson: it’s not about being perfect in just one area, but about thriving in
multiple parts of life while still maintaining happiness and well-being. By finding that balance, student-athletes can reach their potential in both sports and academics—and set themselves up for success in the future, equipped with the skills they’ll need to handle the demands of adulthood.
Don’t Forget the Hype – By Bryn Beckman, Rainier (’25)
DON’T FORGET THE HYPE – BY BRYN BECKMAN, RAINIER (’25)
Stanwood Spartans Girls Swim Team’s Journey to Excellence – By Taylor Almanza, Stanwood (’26)
STANWOOD SPARTANS GIRLS SWIM TEAM’S JOURNEY TO EXCELLENCE – BY TAYLOR ALMANZA, STANWOOD HS (’26)
The Stanwood Spartan girl’s swim team can be defined as excellent. They have created a family and culture, they have the perseverance and determination to make it far, and they are passionate about what they do.
Overcoming Challenges
From the outside, it looks like the Stanwood girl’s swim team is super successful. They are undefeated this year for the first time in Stanwood swim history. One thing people don’t look at is how much success they have, not just statistically. The Stanwood girl’s swim team is constantly making goals everyday and they are reaching them, they are pushing themselves and their teammates to be better, making more goals to work towards. Senior Sarah Zastoupil explains that, “over the summer, [she] had a goal of reaching a time of 500 and leading lane six during the high school season”. She put in the work all summer and achieved that goal. When asking coach Rita Peterson about challenges, she reveals that “the main challenges high school athletes have to face is balancing school, family, and sometimes work”. Balance is a challenge for anyone, and that is one thing the Stanwood girl’s swim team is amazing at overcoming. Senior Faith Dilworth adds that one thing athletes have to face is “time management, as well as mental stress”. She understands the challenges and she, as well as the rest of the team, has overcome time management and handles stress very well.
Memories
The Stanwood girl’s swim team has made some amazing memories over their excellent season. Freshman Anna Paul’s favorite memory is their “team sleepover”. It made them grow closer and it was a really fun night. Faith Dilworth’s favorite memory was their “high stakes meet against Glacier Peak”. Coach Peterson agrees with that as that is also her favorite memory. She said that something special about this was, finding out that they had “beat Glacier Peak, who had won 40 meets in a row, and knowing that [they] had broken that winning streak”. That memory had proven to themselves that they were capable of more than they thought. They realized how good they really were and how far they could really make it. Two years ago they lost to Glacier Peak by 120 points and this year they beat them 88-82. The depth of their team has helped them so much and it is exciting for the Stanwood community to see a growing program.
Family and Culture
The Stanwood girl’s swim team has built an absolutely amazing program. After watching just 10 minutes of a practice or meet, you can see the culture they have created. After talking with their team they also feel the strong culture of their team. In almost every question asked, culture and chemistry is brought up. Senior Faith Dilworth says, “we all support each other really well” and “we have a really good community and the coaches always help you reach your goals”. Senior Sarah Zastoupil says, “my teammates are the ones helping me beat my goals”, adding on that “one time they even helped me swim two more laps after I thought I couldn’t keep going”. Freshman Anna Paul says that her favorite part of practice is just being in a lane with such amazing girls. She says that, “they are a good group of people and they help you to keep going”. Coach Peterson says, “they have many diverse personalities”. They have 40 girls on the team and she says “they work together and support each other”. She comments on how their team is successful because of “how hard they train together” and she sees “swimmers push themselves past where they thought they could go during tough sets”.
Girls Flag Football at Renton High School – By Madison Hull, Renton (’26)
GIRLS FLAG FOOTBALL AT RENTON HIGH SCHOOL – BY MADISON HULL, RENTON (’25)
The Positive Effect of High School Athletics on Black Athletes – By Bernie Anderson, Holy Names Academy (’26)
THE POSITIVE EFFECT OF HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETICS ON BLACK ATHLETES – BY BERNIE ANDERSON, HOLY NAMES ACADEMY (’26)
The effect high school sports have on Black athletes is more than one might think. While many students love and enjoy their high school sports team, this connection is more deeply rooted in Black athletes at predominantly white institutions (PWI). Many Black students come to school every day and do not see representation in themselves as they walk the halls. For the schools that do not have a strong Black community, sports can be a grounding point for many athletes searching for a cultural connection. Being a part of a close-knit sports team can give Black students a safe space to express themselves that might not otherwise be available to them while attending a PWI. Three-sport varsity athlete and senior Emia Beaver said, “Being a Black student at a PWI, my cultural representation is limited, but being a part of [her high school’s] sports programs has given me the opportunity to be a part of a close-knit community where I’m supported and appreciated for me and my talent.” Many people do not realize just how hard it is to operate day-to-day as a Black student in a predominantly white institution when these students are often the only Black person in the room. Having an outlet where they can bond closely with their teammates through a common interest and be appreciated themselves is key while thriving inside and outside of sports. Sports can also help Black athletes connect with people outside of their race on a deeper level. Maya Russell, a junior and three-year varsity soccer player said, “It gives me an opportunity to connect with more people across races and within my own race in an environment where we are working towards the same goal.” Athletics can be a universally bonding experience because teammates see each other through the highs and lows yet still stay united, creating a family-like bond. This bond through a struggle can be seen in many historically oppressed minorities, such as African Americans, and can be replicated on sports teams throughout the wins and losses of a season.
Emily McKenzie, a school counselor at Holy Names Academy, adds professional input on the topic of classroom environments based on her experience counseling high schoolers and her understanding of diverse experiences. From her countless conversations with students, she says “I think that Black students especially are often put in spaces in schools that are not built for them. Education as a whole was first designed for white males, and we still see now the ways that education nationally prioritizes certain viewpoints. When you go through every single day learning a lot of white history and reading books from the white perspective, you can start to feel your own personality stripped away.” McKenzie illustrates how these norms of the American school systems can suppress the experiences of Black students, leading many to feel unwelcome in their own high school halls.
Many Black students also use sports as a way to show their personality where it may not otherwise be welcome. Amiah Armstead, a sophomore and multi-sport athlete, said, “At some PWIs you are nothing more than the color of your skin and yet another statistic. However, for me, sports are where I can create an identity for myself.” High school is a pivotal point in a teenager’s life as they transition to young adulthood because it is the environment where they start to figure out who they are and how they want to operate in the world. It is hard for Black students to grow into their full selves when they do not feel welcome in their own high school halls. Aliyah Alexander, a senior varsity athlete and team manager, says that sports “give me a chance to put myself out there and have people see who I am outside of the classroom.” Aliyah helps illustrate the importance of out-of-school activities to the formation of self and how a person presents to others. Having an outlet such as a sports team where teenagers can practice social skills and be free to grow in themselves is incredibly important. Since many Black students are not free to be themselves in the classroom, this puts an extra emphasis on the high school sports experience.
In conclusion, the impact of sports on Black students at Primarily White Institutions extends far beyond what many people realize, serving not just as an extracurricular activity but as a vital source of belonging and identity. For Black students who may not feel comfortable or fully accepted in the classroom, sports can create a much-needed home away from home, providing a space where they can freely express themselves, build meaningful connections, and develop a sense of belonging. This safe haven allows them to thrive and grow in ways that may not be possible in more traditional academic settings, making the role of sports an essential factor in Black students’ overall high school experience.
Staying in the Game – By Nik Husarik, Emerald Ridge (’25)
STAYING IN THE GAME – BY NIK HUSARIK, EMERALD RIDGE (’25)
There’s 2 minutes till halftime. You’re winning by a couple points. The other team gets a steal. Suddenly it’s a fast break and you can’t let the other team score a basket. You sprint down the court and leap with a last effort to block the opposing player’s shot! But along with blocking the shot came consequence. Your leg gets tangled with the other player, and you hear a pop. A couple seconds later you’re on the ground, a sharp pain shooting through your left knee. Teammates and a coach help you off the court where you remain the rest of the game. Days pass by and your knee starts to feel better, so you rest for a week. Then by the next week you’re getting back into things, but you’re told you should probably see a doctor just in case. A few more days pass and you find yourself lying in bed when your phone starts to ring. You pick it up and listen to words that no athlete wants to hear: “Your MRI results are back, you tore your ACL.”
If you haven’t guessed already, this story isn’t so made up after all. My name is Nik Husarik, and I’m currently a junior at Emerald Ridge High School. Along with many other athletes before me, I suffered a season-ending injury this past summer. Injuries suck. They are an unavoidable occurrence in sports which create tough scenarios in the lives of many. At the high school level, statistics show that 2 million injuries occur annually. When compared to the 8 million highschoolers that participate in athletics, that’s roughly 1 in every 4 athletes who deal with some type of injury in a year. These numbers portray the true magnitude of athletes that are affected. This is why it is important to understand how to deal with them. I still remember when I was told that it would take a whole year of not participating in sports to fully recover from my injury. After hearing this I was taken aback. I had been a 3-sport varsity athlete since my freshman year of high school. How would I fill my time with anything other than being a player on a court or field? How would I respond when something so essential in my life was taken away from me? These questions constantly crossed my mind early on as I was rehabbing from my injury and surgery. But after some time, I came to realize that in the darkness of my injury I could find new light.
So many athletes in this same position fall victim to getting out of touch with reality, hyper focused on the problems that their injury has caused them. Instead of focusing on the negative, I decided to shift my mindset to think positive. What was given to me when sports were taken away? I came to realize that part of the answer to this question was being able to see the games I loved from a new perspective. Instead of being bummed I wasn’t on the roster, I was able to see the joy that sports brought players and their families. Instead of being set on my own personal goals, I was able to put all my effort into supporting the aspirations of others and acting as a teacher to some. I found purpose in the struggle because I realized that sports weren’t my life, sports were just in my life. This important switch in mindset allowed me to enjoy the games even when I wasn’t participating in them. I found ways to still be an active member on my teams, leading and serving as best I could.
I also came to appreciate all the extra time I had. It allowed me to grow in so many ways, one of which was getting closer to family. It allowed me to realize how much some people care for you. In my case, it was my parents and friends. Regardless of my status as an athlete, I found comfort in the fact that they would support me no matter what. In addition to my growth as a person it also provided new opportunities in my life. With all this newfound time I was able to develop past hobbies and also create new ones. This hole that was created from my injury was filled up with increases in other aspects of my life, allowing me to become a more well-rounded individual.
Now, I am not saying that you must get injured to have these experiences (I wish this upon nobody, trust me). I am just lucky enough to have understood the great opportunity that was presented to me when I did get injured. I will tell you that being an athlete is one of the things in life that I cherish most. But I will also tell you that if being an athlete gets removed from my life, I will stay active in other ways, because I know my life will go on, and I know my life will still be enjoyable.
My advice to all injured athletes is that you find purpose in the struggle. Understand that you can still be active in sports even if you’re not the one playing. That even if you’re not checked into the game, you’ll still be checked into life.
High School Burnouts
HIGH SCHOOL BURNOUTS – BY GRACIE PHAM, DAVIS (’24)
Statistics show that a little over 7% of high school athletes continue to play at the college level of athletics after high school. With about 8 million high schoolers participating in sports throughout the United States, the amount of opportunities there are available to those who are interested in continuing their careers past high school is limited. Even disregarding scholarship availability, the chance to compete at the college level even in small community colleges can give athletes the chance to create relationships and memories with people that they’ll carry on through the rest of their lives. But why is it that such a small percentage of high school teenagers don’t move on to the college level once they graduate?
While there are many reasons as to why, I want to discuss specifically the issue of young adolescents feeling burnt out from their sports before they even get the chance to enjoy that chapter of their life. I’ll be focusing on specifically the perspective of wrestling, since that is the sport that I am connected to. I live in a valley that is more or less a breeding ground for wrestlers. Between the hundreds of little kid club teams that eventually feed into the high school programs, there is never a lack of stud athletes that pop up out of our schools, and the amount of talent that actually does come out of the area is just remarkable. As I grew up around some of the biggest names in Washington, out of all the wrestling champions that come out on top, I only ever see a handful even consider wrestling in college, even being 2 or 3 time State Champions. But at the same time, I see people who hardly placed in the high school State level continue to compete in the college level. Why is there this imbalance?
I see it every day having experienced training in different wrestling rooms throughout the state, wrestling with novice and elite, nationally ranked wrestlers. What’s hard about playing sports from a young age is that by the time they reach the high school level, some kids would have wrestled 10, 12 years of their life. Between the amount of work it takes to balance social life and school, as well as an athletic career, it’s just crazy to place those expectations on a teenage kid, let alone an 8-year-old who is still figuring out how to multiply. A trend you’ll see when you walk into tournaments during the kids’ wrestling season is that there will be hundreds of young kids ranging from ages 6-10 years old, stacking the brackets with wrestlers, but as soon as you reach 13-14-year-olds in middle school, the amount of kids in the brackets drops drastically.
What’s sad about this reality is that it’s inevitable that kids will fall out of love in a sport, or find new hobbies to pursue later on in life. But I’ve seen countless, big-named athletes who were the talk of the valley growing up, and then completely fell out during their high school season. And regardless of talent, seeing people losing the love in a sport that they grew up doing hurts, in the fact that the memories they would have, or could have made, ended within the pressure that they feel as young adolescents. What I believe isn’t stressed enough in high school, or even middle school, is that they believe that the end of the story is making it to State in high school, or winning multiple State Titles, where it should be about wrestling to find yourself, and become better every day. Find your reason to wrestle, because there should not be any pressure to do more than the best that you can. If all you’re doing is something that you love, no athlete would be working a day in their life. In doing something that you enjoy, I believe more athletes would be open to the opportunities of wrestling at the college level, or at least consider the possibilities of continuing a hobby that they love doing.
While I understand that this isn’t the case for all athletes, I believe it’s something that should be talked about at any level. To build a relationship, you have to nurture and care for it; it can’t grow with pure bruteness and training. Learning to love a sport like wrestling is hard, but it’s not impossible… I can say that from personal experience.
Mental Health Importance: Athletes
MENTAL HEALTH IMPORTANCE- BY JOSEPH EARL, CHIEF LESCHI (’25)
As a team-sport athlete, I have made many lifelong relationships with people who were complete strangers before our connection through sports. Relationships that become more than just on the field or on the court. Having healthy and comfortable relationships with teammates and coaches makes it easy to enjoy the game you love. Although there are many athletes that end up quitting a sport because of the mental struggle they face. Before the COVID lockdown, I was a high energetic person, with an approachable personality. In my 8th Grade year, fresh out of the COVID lockdown, I faced a new challenge of social anxiety due to little to no in-person interaction. This new trait of mine made it hard to lead as a quarterback and ultimately affected my performance levels. I knew it would be difficult to tell people that I had anxiety because I was always known as this “big time football player”, that is always smiling and happy. I thought people would laugh or find my anxiety as a joke, which led to more anxiety. In that same year, I was benched for the back-up quarterback. This lack of confidence continued throughout my 9th grade year as I was a decent quarterback on the C-squad. I continually made mental errors and missed plays that I know I was capable of making.
Fast forward to my sophomore year, I just transferred to the school that I always dreamed to play for as a kid – my tribal school that all of my family and relatives attended. In football, I led the state in passing and rushing yards, and earned multiple recognitions, including WIAA Athlete of the Week. We ended the season with the best record in school history. In the winter, I’m starting games in basketball, making a huge difference from the year before. Winning the league championship was just a small step to where we ended. Making the State Championship was a dream come true, and although we didn’t win, it was an honor to play on the biggest stage in the state. Trying a new sport can be quite intimidating, as I recently tried track for the first time. The same results are being produced. I made it to the State Championships in multiple events, representing my school in front of the whole state.
I finally recovered. After surrounding myself with the teammates and coaches that boosted my confidence, I was able to recover from anxiety and the fear of failure. My sophomore year is the high school sports story that I will tell for the rest of my life. It describes the importance of mental health and how sports can help with more than just your physical health. People were telling me not to go to a 2B school. They said, “No colleges will look at you.” Transferring schools could be the best thing that ever happened to me. I was able to find happiness in the sports that I love again. I enjoy being a student-athlete at this school. Surrounded by my peers that are Native American like me. From my view, I’d describe suffering from anxiety as a “loop” or “cycle” that repeats over and over again. My teammates made me feel like that captain I once was. And my coaches gave me that trust that I once had. All of this new confidence and positive aura made it possible to be a part of the WIAA Leap Committee and share experiences like this. As athletes, not valuing your mental health can be detrimental to your peak performance in your sport. It can also cause issues outside of sports. My advice to those suffering from mental health issues is to make the decisions that YOU believe are best for you. Don’t allow anyone to dictate your decisions. Talk to someone who is willing to listen. Set goals that you can achieve. These are all small steps that you can take to expand your comfort zone. I am beyond grateful for the discipline, happiness, and relationships high school sports have given me. I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I am excited to be a part of change for student-athletes all across the state.
Starting Somewhere
STARTING SOMEWHERE – BY CHEYENNE SHEWELL, ELLENSBURG (’25)
There is no doubt that sports change lives. Sports have changed mine and I am not even done yet. With sports, everyone starts at a different point. Some kids start as soon as they can walk, some in elementary school. But some kids do not get the opportunity to play until high school. I did not get to start until high school. When I was younger my family moved a lot and both my parents had full-time jobs. This left little time for my sister or me to do sports.
Freshman year, I decided I wanted to try swim, I had done the standard swim lessons before, but I had never swum competitively before so it was a shot in the dark on if I would be any good at it. I had no idea all the places it would take me! I go to a small rural school, so there were very few girls on the team, which allowed me to swim a good amount at meets. My freshman year I qualified for districts (barely) even though I did not place at Districts. This was more than I expected since it had been my first year swimming. By my junior year I got first at Districts and ended up qualifying for State in my individual events. When I signed up to swim my freshman year, I had no idea how far I would go. Swimming not only taught me discipline and the importance and hard work but also gave me friendships that I would never have had otherwise.
Because of COVID, I only got a three-week season of softball in 8th grade, but from the moment I started I was hooked, and knew I wanted to play it in high school. Unlike swimming, softball had a lot of girls, and most of them had been playing since they were little, so entering my freshman year without ever playing before was challenging but thankfully I had an amazing coach on JV that helped me to become the player I am today. Now I am in my junior year of softball, and I am starting on Varsity which would not be possible without my amazing JV Coach my freshman year. Softball is a team sport, so it has shaped a different part of me than swimming. For Softball I had to learn teamwork and patience and how to just let things go and move on to the next play.
There have been many times that I have felt behind in my sports career, especially when all the people around me have been playing their whole lives, but I am thankful every day that I decided to play high school sports. High school sports can shape every kid who plays into a better person by integrating team-building skills, hard work, good ethics, teamwork, and physical well-being into their everyday life during and after high school. High school sports have made me a better person in sports and in life, so even though I started “late,” I am thankful I started.
Reflections of a High School Student-Athlete
REFLECTIONS OF A HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT-ATHLETE – BY TURNER VAN SLYKE (’24)
It’s time to move on. This won’t be the last time life whispers these words, but as a 17-year-old on the brink of life beyond high school, it feels like the first. I’ve always lived in Walla Walla, Washington, in the shadow of the Blue Mountains and on the cusp of the Palouse. This valley has been my teacher, playground, and friend. People told me the time to leave would come. Now I’m starting to believe it.
This transition from childhood to adulthood, from dependence to independence, is scary. In reality, no one is really kicking me out of Walla Walla. I’m profoundly lucky that, if I chose to, I could probably crash in my parents’ basement and mooch off their groceries indefinitely. Even though that sounds like a perfectly fulfilling way to spend my twenties, I know it’s time to leave. In part, I’ve gained this understanding with the help of lessons I learned playing sports.
All things end. When the sports season ends, the magic of a tight-knit team dynamic fades. In some ways, the connections between my teammates and me will last forever. However, even a group bond forged in the searing flame of late-night hotel room Mario Kart tournaments, mid-run lectures from disgruntled landowners, and Olive Garden breadstick feasts isn’t the same after the season ends. Like the painful end of a relationship with a significant other, a long weekend terminated by the buzz of an alarm clock, the world’s best book and its heart-wrenching finale, or the stark transition away from high school, a sports season sputters to a halt.
For four years, I’ve been a high school student-athlete. My last sports season is now behind me. Lately, I have appreciated how my athletic career has shaped me, empowering my humanity, perspective, and joy.
Humanity
We are high school student-athletes. We are the bed-headed ones. We run for two days too many in smelly T-shirts, lock the keys in the car, and get lost in shopping malls at away meets. We give big hugs, stumble over words, make amazing discoveries, screw up, and laugh. We are messy individuals with hopes and faults and colorful dreams. We are people.
A runner builds the endurance needed to sustain healthy relationships. A thrower develops the strength to defend their values in uncomfortable situations. A soccer player nurtures coordination for juggling complex obligations. A dancer hones the flexibility that’s demanded when plans go wrong. A bowler eats waffle fries. When we play sports, we train for life.
Perspective
It’s hard to take yourself too seriously after a buddy shares pictures of you during a cross-country race. Something about sweaty, sunburned agony caught in 4K makes life seem goofy. At its best, in my humble opinion, it is. The situations we humans get ourselves into are pretty ridiculous. I don’t think any self-respecting extraterrestrial could look at a swimmer shivering in their Speedo before the 50-yard freestyle and imagine that humans are dignified creatures.
Sports have helped me contextualize life. Between high-stakes competitions and exhausting practices, I have treasured what’s most important: connections with those around me, sovereignty over my body, and living in the moment. I’m not a pessimist, but I know I will die someday. As an athlete, that has meant supporting every teammate and running every race like it’s a gift. I’ve run how I aspire to live.
Joy
It’s important to have fun while playing sports because it’s important to have fun. To realize our visions of a brighter future, we must enjoy life. Doing what’s right requires believing that this world is good and worthy of more goodness.
When I play sports, I celebrate goodness daily. I hear goodness in quirky conversations, see goodness in jaw-dropping sunsets, and feel goodness in the satisfying burn of workouts. I believe spending quality time with others while pursuing shared interests is fundamentally good. Dribbling, throwing, and jumping alongside teammates taps into a set of deep, intuitive joys: the joys of movement and camaraderie. I have trouble defining what joy is, but I know that the spontaneous, uncapturable giddiness that flies out of teenagers on recovery runs is a powerful force for good.
For me, high school sports have been tiring and demanding, rewarding and inspiring, and memorable and formative. Some practices were bad, but most were great. Some races almost broke me, but more of them made me proud. I met friends I could lean on, pushed myself, and learned from awesome coaches and peers. A sports career doesn’t last forever, but its lessons endure.
I’m excited for my next chapter. The world is calling, and I’m ready for new beginnings. I strive to continue channeling my humanity, perspective, and joy as I grow. To me, the purpose of athletics is similar to the purpose of life: to do what you love with the people you love.