By LILLY CHESNEY
Sheridan High School Student
Editor’s Note: The Sheridan Student Column is brought to readers by Sheridan High School’s 10th grade English class, taught by Abby Williams.
As a multi-sport athlete in high school, many challenges have to be overcome and goals need to be met. My biggest challenges I have are keeping my body healthy and balancing my school work with the athletic commitments. On top of this, we now have to worry about COVID-19.
Despite these challenges, there are so many positives to being a multi-sport athlete, such as making friends, learning life-long skills, working as a team, and setting goals for yourself. Although many people argue that committing too much time to sports can be overwhelming, I feel the benefits help form the type of person you become.
Making sure you’re drinking enough water, eating nutritious food, and getting enough sleep is crucial to being a healthy athlete. In my opinion, people underestimate the importance of making good, nutritional choices because of the amount of energy your body requires. Your body needs to be taken care of in order to perform the best it can. Keeping your body healthy can improve your mental focus and attitude.
A positive of being a multi-sport athlete is having fun with my friends and making new relationships. It’s comforting knowing you share the same interests as your teammates. It is so much fun playing a sport with people you love. I think playing sports can really show the type of person you are.
A big advantage to playing sports is that you learn life-long skills. Although sports mean a lot to me, academics have to come first. In order to get good grades, I have to use time management skills, which can be difficult. Learning how to balance everything will be beneficial later in life. Working together is a huge factor in team sports. My coaches are constantly reminding my team that we have to work together to get better. Learning to cooperate is a skill I will use throughout my personal and professional life. Setting personal goals and having determination and perseverance are all skills learned through playing sports that will also be helpful later in life.
Although many people argue that committing too much time to sports can be overwhelming, I feel the benefits help form the type of person you become. Being a multi-sport athlete can be challenging at times, but I think it is all worth it in the end.