High school sports have a huge impact on so many levels, and in this blog, we\’re going to take you through some of the benefits. You\’ll be surprised by what these activities do for our community! The ETC Foundation is proud to support student athletes and their educational goals. These young people will learn lessons that they can apply across many areas of life—not just sports—and we\’re all for it! Sports bring communities together and we want to talk about the important lessons that high schoolers will get from participating in their schools’ athletic programs.
Let\’s start with the simplest point: progression and support for a life of health and wellness. It’s no secret that an active lifestyle is much healthier than being sedentary. High school athletics teaches kids the importance of movement and physical fitness, which are keys to successful living into old age with agility and good mental clarity! When these values are reinforced for students by participation in sports over an extended period of time, they will be more likely to stay physically fit and healthy as adults because they’ve built a longstanding habit of being physically active.
The feeling of camaraderie that high school sports provides to student athletes is one the best parts about playing. For many students, their favorite teams are not just a hobby but an outlet for all their energy and creativity; it provides them with endless opportunities to grow, both a person and as an athlete. In many cases, more experienced members of a sports team act as mentors and role models to the younger, newer players. They help teach leadership skills and guide their teammates to achieve success on and off the field!
The feeling of being involved and active in a sport is contagious. It motivates students to work harder at their studies, especially those who don\’t feel like they belong or who have less confidence with their schoolwork. Student athletes develop the key life skills they will need to succeed in their future careers. Missing a practice or showing up late has consequences for both the student and their teammates, which is an excellent lesson for them; today’s workforce has increasingly competitive demands on time from employers and lack of flexibility within jobs themselves, and student athletes’ previous experience as part of a team better prepares them to be accountable in the workforce. The student athlete learns about self-discipline through managing their time to balance schoolwork with sports practices and competitive matches. Influenced by their sports experiences, student athletes often have higher grades and are more motivated to succeed. This will help them as adults, too!
The importance of our community is something that will be with students forever. They can look back at how their experience with high school sports influenced who they are today. They will attribute personal qualities such as responsibility, organization, and ambition to their experience as a high school student athlete. Every student athlete learns that there is always something greater than themselves. They come to understand the importance of having a team or community, and a voice for coming together to achieve great things that benefit others as well as themselves. The spark and ambition we see in our student athletes are just two of the many qualities that we so admired about the late Edward Taylor Coombs. We want to provide future generations with a strong foundation so that they can take care of themselves and give back to their communities, helping to carry forward the torch of Edward’s legacy. High school sports are one important way to help shape that future.
Learn more about how the Edward Taylor Coombs Foundation provides for high school student athletes here.
