Monday, October 30, 2006
Big Thought!
"Fun -vs- Rewarding"
This was written on one of the slides during a presentation at this year's clinic. The presenter went on to explain that being out for a sport may not always be "FUN" but it is "REWARDING".
I wish I could impress upon the girls in our school system how rewarding being out for sports can be. The time, effort and sacrifice at times can be a drain on a person and I know that competitive sports are not always fun. However, the benefits can really be great.
I struggled through my freshmen and sophomore years of football at Mahnomen High School. Getting pummeled by the huge offensive lines, that were the norm at my high school, was not a lot of fun. We had players that would almost rip you apart when they tackled you just because they could. The first two weeks of practice were as brutal of a physical and mental test that I have ever had. . . I would not classify this aspect of sports anywhere near FUN!
But, I can truthfully say that being a part of the football team was one the most "rewarding" things I did in my years at Mahnomen. It taught me to persevere. . . to not quit when there were excuses at every corner waiting for me to do so. I learned what it took to be great even if I wasn't that great of a football player. I learned what loyalty was and how even 20 year's later I can still list my close friends from those teams as people I would turn to in times of need.
Sports are so rewarding because it challenges you to go beyond your comfort zone. It gives you the opportunity to really see how hard you can work and how far you can go. Sports give you a chance to feel the thrill of success and just as important how to handle the disappointment of failure.
Too often you hear of kids quitting sports because “it isn’t fun”. This may be true. . . if it were all about fun we would probably see more games like the “AND ONE” tour on ESPN where showing your best individual moves is the most important goal or intramural games where playing is the most important aspect of the activity. However, organized sports ask a little bit more. They ask the athlete to look at their own character and they challenge the person to make it even stronger.
Fun –vs- Rewarding. . . I’ll take a double scoop of rewarding please!
This was written on one of the slides during a presentation at this year's clinic. The presenter went on to explain that being out for a sport may not always be "FUN" but it is "REWARDING".
I wish I could impress upon the girls in our school system how rewarding being out for sports can be. The time, effort and sacrifice at times can be a drain on a person and I know that competitive sports are not always fun. However, the benefits can really be great.
I struggled through my freshmen and sophomore years of football at Mahnomen High School. Getting pummeled by the huge offensive lines, that were the norm at my high school, was not a lot of fun. We had players that would almost rip you apart when they tackled you just because they could. The first two weeks of practice were as brutal of a physical and mental test that I have ever had. . . I would not classify this aspect of sports anywhere near FUN!
But, I can truthfully say that being a part of the football team was one the most "rewarding" things I did in my years at Mahnomen. It taught me to persevere. . . to not quit when there were excuses at every corner waiting for me to do so. I learned what it took to be great even if I wasn't that great of a football player. I learned what loyalty was and how even 20 year's later I can still list my close friends from those teams as people I would turn to in times of need.
Sports are so rewarding because it challenges you to go beyond your comfort zone. It gives you the opportunity to really see how hard you can work and how far you can go. Sports give you a chance to feel the thrill of success and just as important how to handle the disappointment of failure.
Too often you hear of kids quitting sports because “it isn’t fun”. This may be true. . . if it were all about fun we would probably see more games like the “AND ONE” tour on ESPN where showing your best individual moves is the most important goal or intramural games where playing is the most important aspect of the activity. However, organized sports ask a little bit more. They ask the athlete to look at their own character and they challenge the person to make it even stronger.
Fun –vs- Rewarding. . . I’ll take a double scoop of rewarding please!
# posted by Viking Warrior @ 1:09 PM 
