Blood, sweat and tears. Are those the only things you gain once you enter the realm of sports? That’s a thought that gets people apprehensive once they step foot into it. For me, the biggest gift sports offer to us is something intangible, yet so invaluable.
For obvious reasons, sports teach us how to strive to be the best. Whatever path you choose to walk on, someway, we are knowledgeable about how cutthroat the world is. For an idealist, this might not seem so hopeful, but to some extent it is. It means that we have this sense of individuality that we can exploit and expose to the world. I was a football varsity member during high school and whenever our coaches strategized prior to a game, we’d often hear caveats about how the opposing team usually plays. They stress upon what makes the team strong, and how we can attack and use their weakness to our advantage, and after the game, we think of how to become better.
Along with that, we had to learn how to balance our academics, and other commitments, as most of my teammates were also leaders. Time management was a skill that I really acquired through sports. I remember someone giving me advice, in which she said, no matter how many commitments you have, we all have 24 hours in a day, it’s up to you how to triage these said commitments. Sometimes, other commitments deserve more attention, such as when we have important tournaments like the Women’s National Collegiate Athletic Association, or if finals season was coming up, studying hard would be a nonnegotiable. Moreover, sports are the ultimate package for those who have an insatiable hunger for self-improvement and self-awareness.
No shortcuts
Three summers ago, I wanted to try boxing for no apparent reason, and I greatly relished it. But, the next day, I couldn’t move and my body felt like it weighed a ton as I dragged myself to wherever I had to go to. It got me thinking that our bodies are sort of like engines, we can’t just click the on button and accelerate. We have to warm it up and constantly use it in order for it not to break down because progress is not a linear graph with no setbacks, it’s more like a staircase.
For the most part, the memories that remain vivid in my mind are those of the laughs and fond moments that I cherish up until now. After a long day of requirements, a game at the end of training feels like a breath of fresh air.
In a new sport I play now, which is flag football, the community is so diverse, yet so inclusive. Playing sports with people who are always willing to teach you and learn from others is so reassuring, because everyone plays coach and teammate simultaneously. Many may say that sports can be, by no stretch of the imagination, a stress reliever because it induces more stress, most especially physically. But, the only thing sports falls short of is instant gratification, as you need to work hard in every aspect; there are no shortcuts, therefore I think that’s why happiness due to sports lasts longer, and is in all honesty, more gratifying than ever. Doesn’t that sound familiar? Isn’t that just like life in general? We work hard to be able to get the results we want, yet sometimes, we don’t get the results we’ve been praying for. But, just like in sports, it’s OK to cry about it, but what it shouldn’t do to us, is defeat our fighting spirits that can always bounce back.
Whether you play sports on your weekends, or you dream of going professional, keep doing it. You’re doing yourself a favor by growing in environments that are so enriching when it comes to wisdom and self-exploration. Before joining varsity, I was in a slump and I found no motivation in anything at all, but after a spontaneous decision of trying out for a sport, I discovered all these parts of myself I never would’ve if it weren’t for sports. You begin to feel more confident in your own skin by just being yourself, but always constantly improving.
Looking back at a folder in my hard drive containing all pictures of me playing sports, whatever they may be, I noticed how varied my expressions were. My eyebrows meeting each other as I focused on the game I was playing, or my smile meeting my ears because I loved every aspect of it—the sport, the sun, the field, the free food, the satisfaction and blessing of being able to drink water after playing, the wins, the losses, my teammates and the person sports molded me into. So that’s the priceless gift of sports, it allows us to learn all sorts. —CONTRIBUTED
