Have you ever wondered why people play sports or what the benefits of playing a sport are? According to Niche, 96% of students and parents agree that Durango High School students are athletic. Meaning that there are a lot of students playing sports at DHS and the reason why may be because the school offers a variety of sports like football, soccer, basketball, baseball, volleyball, cross country, golf, softball and more.
Freshman football player Avery Herrera said, “I think it’s important because you could develop a role for yourself to have responsibility and to be a part of a team player.” Developing a role for yourself is really important in any kind of sport because when you have a role you could become a key player for your team.
DHS student athlete Miles Jordan who is a freshman in high school and plays basketball and golf, also talks about the benefits of being an athlete and the importance of playing sports. Jordan says “ I think the benefits of playing a sport is how you get to hang out with your friends and get in athletic condition and you would be around a competitive environment where you could work hard and succeed.” Being in a competitive environment is also important because being around this environment could potentially help you develop as a player and person.
According to an article from MU Health, many athletes do better academically. The article states that “Playing a sport requires a lot of time and energy. Some people may think this would distract student athletes from schoolwork. However, the opposite is true. Sports require memorization, repetition and learning skill sets that are directly relevant to class work.”
This statement from the article is important because the skills you learn on the field or court can transfer to the classroom. In addition, the article also states that “Sports can help you reach your fitness goals and maintain a healthy weight. However, they also encourage healthy decision making such as not smoking and not drinking. Sports also have hidden health benefits such as lowering the chance of osteoporosis or breast cancer later in life.”
From popularity to health benefits, sports are an important part of the high school experience. For more information about MU health article go to https://www.muhealth.org/conditions-treatments/pediatrics/adolescent-medicine/benefits-of-sports And for more information about the percentage of student athletes go to https://www.niche.com/k12/durango-high-school-durango-co/
