Sports are a lot more than shooting a basketball, kicking a soccer ball, or hitting a baseball; sports teach lessons that help with our daily lives.

I asked Will Gromko who is a very accomplished athlete here at IHS some questions of how sports have benefited him. 

Will is a three sport athlete including football, lacrosse and indoor track. He was a four year varsity starter on the football and lacrosse team, and was a captain for football for both junior and senior year, and is a lacrosse captain for this upcoming spring. 

Will said, “sports have taught me how to be a leader within a group of people.” I followed that up with how he will use this skill later in his life. Will mentioned that he will be going to Paris Island this summer to do his basic training to become a Marine. He wants to use his leadership to “ be a good squadmate in the Marines.” 

I also interviewed our beloved gym teacher Gardy to ask what sports have meant to him during his life, and he said that, “sports have been such a huge part of my life”. Gardy is a very accomplished athlete and even went pro for baseball and was signed by the Texas Rangers before coming back to his hometown to teach physical education and train local high school baseball players. 

Gardy explained that kids learn such valuable life skills while playing sports like “commitment , work ethic, and being a part of a common goal with a group of people.” These are the types of skills that are needed to be a good worker, and a good citizen in a community. 

In the world of a high school student, kids could go down a path of making bad decisions like drinking and or smoking. 

So I asked Gromko how sports influences his decision making, and he explained that “sports always kept me away from that stuff because I always have something sports related to do, so I never wanted to do that.” Also he went on to talk about how doing substances can get you out of shape, because they mess up our bodies. Lastly he explained how in the case if he were to ever get caught making these bad decisions, he would hate to get suspended from sports because it would “hurt the team.” 

To wrap it up, although the best part of sports is playing in front of a crowd, making the play to win the game, or competing for a state tournament, the part of sports that is always forgotten are the life skills that are obtained. Athletes are taught to practice to get better at what they do, they are taught to work as a unit and use each other’s skills to get a better product, and athletes are taught to lead others and help each other. These skills are not just “sports” skills, they are life skills that humans need to be good people and to have a successful life.