Most people have at least one extracurricular to pass time during high school. Whether it be a sport, club, or group – everyone has something. Sports are a common activity that most students participate in or support regularly. How does this change students, for better or for worse?

As for the student-athletes that participate in the sports, there are plenty of pros and cons to it. An obvious disadvantage would be the fact that sports are so time-consuming. Almost every sport takes up two to three hours before or after school every day, not counting game-days. You must also work on your skills outside of practice, which takes true dedication.

On the bright side, the pros tend to outweigh the cons. Just a few of the amazing rewards that come from participating in an after-school sport are building your own character, making lifetime friendships, and having an escape from the chaos that goes on in your everyday life.

Whether you know it or not, the main reason for sports in high school is to help build your character as a person and to carry all of the lessons learned throughout the rest of your life.

With sports, you learn to take your anger from competitiveness and turn it into progress as you improve your skills; you learn not to accept failure, and to always give it another shot.

I, personally, have experienced these amazing moments throughout my high school carrier with sports. In basketball, I have learned how to be a true team player and to care for others other than and sometimes more than myself. In softball, I have greatly improved my character throughout the years.

Before sports were introduced to me, I was a lost child scrambling through life only looking out for what would benefit me. Now, it is my senior year, and my last year of sports – over these years I have realized that I would not have made it through my high school years without all of the heartaches, smiles, and friendships sports have brought to me.