As I tied up my cleats and pulled up my socks I started mentally preparing for the soccer game I was about to play. It was 2005 and my 7-year-old self couldn’t wait to start the game. Our team didn’t have a designated goalie, and so each game we would wait in dread to hear whose turn it was to sacrifice their dignity for the good of the team. We all gathered around in a circle to hear our fates, and on this doomful day, it happened to be my turn to publicly embarrass myself. I dragged my feet as I walked towards the goal and I reassured myself that this couldn’t possibly go as badly as the scenario I was creating in my head. As soon as the whistle blew my nerves kicked in. The other team, as any soccer beginner would booted the ball as far as they could towards our goal. It slipped right out of my hands and right into the goal. I immediately became infuriated with myself and stooped to a bad attitude. They scored goal, after goal, after goal on me. And that was one of the best things that could’ve happened.

Sports teach us many things. Ever since I could walk I have been playing sports. I am a firm believer that sports add a huge value to life. During that soccer game when I was seven, I learned that sometimes we fail, and sometimes we fail miserably. The way that my team supported me after the game, saying that it was a team effort, and as long as I tried my best it was ok, allowed me to be on the path towards accepting failure and learning how to handle it. Accepting failure and understanding how to learn from failure is one of the many lessons sports teaches us.

Another lesson they teach us is sportsmanship and communication. Sportsmanship is something that can be applied to many aspects of life. “Sportsmanship” is important in school, in the sense that working well with people is a crucial aspect of education. The same can be said about many professions as well. The ability to work well with others and compete well with others while doing it in a fair and amicable manner is something that sports help us work towards.

Sports also help us work towards a healthier lifestyle. Especially when started at a young age, sports can build a foundation of athleticism, and love for exercise. Since sports are a fun way of burning some calories, we learn to enjoy exercise and associate it with good times instead of bad. Sports can cause you to gain a more positive outlook on exercise in general, and that is an important foundation to build.

One of the best parts about sports is that you learn these lessons no matter what level you are playing at. Most of my high school career consisted of JV level sports, and club level now in college. I have learned to interact with people, take instruction and constructive criticism, develop relationships with coaches and teammates, and to have a positive attitude even when the tides are turned against me. My JV hockey team in high school was notorious for losing every game we played. But despite the 8-0 losses we faced time and time again, we danced the Macarena with the opposing team after every game with smiles on our faces. We learned to make the best out of the situation, and we were known for our spirit.

So take advantage of the sports teams you have access to, and embrace all of the important lessons they have to offer!