Playing sports pays off for high school athletes

Art+by+Dana+Lenard+

Art by Dana Lenard

“I chose to play a college sport ultimately because I couldn’t picture myself without the competition and joy that baseball brings me,” said Saint Viator senior baseball player Kevin Napoleon.

After a few years a sport becomes such a huge part of life that removing it in the blink of an eye just doesn’t feel natural. Whether or not a sport is played competitively, it will always teach a lesson. For some it’s time management, for others it’s hard work but for senior football player Connor Phelan it was helping him to overcome adversity.

“I have dealt with many failures in this sport, so when something more serious comes along later in my life, I will have a better chance of knowing how to respond,” said Phelan.

When placing oneself in a competitive nature, they place themselves in a great variety of situations. These situations can vary from sport to sport, season to season. Over the past few years, Saint Viator’s swim team has had three different coaches.

“….learning how to cope with change comes in handy….Each coach had their own ways and how they trained us. Every coach was amazing at what they did even though adapting to the new style each year was difficult,” said the captain of the swim team, Jackie Rose.

Adapting is a huge part of every game, whether it be a new coach, new field, morning practices or losing a player due to injury. As an athlete one must chose to adapt; they must “take one for the team.”

College Infographic
Infographic by Art Scheller

Athletes are made and created at young ages. Some choose to play as a hobby, some because they love the sport, others because they want to compete. Many competitive athletes dream to play at the collegiate level and here at Viator as well. From the class of 2016, Connor Phelan (football), Jackie Rose (swimming), Kevin Napoleon (baseball), and a few others will continue to compete in college. The common theme was that these athletes ultimately chose to play collegiate level because they have a passion for the sport.

Not only does a sport teach lessons, but also shapes athletes into good hard-working people. They learn to cope with failure and power through it. They learn to be humble and have sportsmanship. They learn how to interact with others.

“Playing sports has allowed me to work with others in a very effective way. I believe if I didn’t play any sports, my skills with working in a team or group would be much worse than they are now,” said Phelan.

But the best parts of these sports are that permanent memories are created. These memories will be remembered throughout college and through the rest of an athlete’s life for that matter.

“My favorite memory is beating Marian Central on our homecoming Junior Year to get into the playoffs.” Said Phelan

“The stories, the crazy tights, our “Christmas” tradition of exchanging gifts, and the overall excitement of the meet. I loved all the happiness it brought and seeing my teammates support each other the most,” said Rose.

“My favorite memory at Saint Viator had to be sweeping Carmel last year. We won game 2 on a walk-off home run by Dan J. Sullivan,” said Napoleon.

Playing a sport is much more than competing. It consists of making memories, having fun and most importantly being part of a community that will never be forgotten.