When asked how playing high school sports has positively impacted my education, I find it hard to know where to start. Firstly, playing soccer all throughout my high school career has taught me the simple skill of working hard. Not only working hard, but doing so consistently. This was not as easy task, but I learned that if I wanted to see the results I expected, I had to put in hard work. This is also true in school. I learned that you will see much better success if you study, understand the concepts, and go the extra mile. In both school and sports, it truly pays off.
Another huge lesson I learned through high school sports is trust. You have to trust your teammates to get to that ball or score the goal. It is the only way the team will see any success. Similarly, in school, you have to trust your teachers. You have to also trust that the hard work you are putting in will pay off. Trust is a vital element in both sports and school today and playing sports illustrated this clearly for me.
In soccer, you have to be willing to work for a full ninety minutes. It is expected of you as a player to be in shape and have this extreme worth ethic. I sum this up as determination. In school, determination is also a huge tool in succeeding. If you show up to class one day ready to work but the next two you don’t fulfill your part as a student, the determination factor is lacking. It is an essential way to succeed in school. You have to want the grades more than the person to your left and more than the person to your right does. You have to set goals and do everything you possibly can to achieve them. High school soccer has taught me this in an efficient way that has also spilled into my daily attitude at school.
Most importantly, soccer has taught me that to meet your goals, you have to believe in yourself. You have to tell yourself that you can get there; and you have to believe it. I think that is a lacking quality in many students today. They start to do a math problem, but convince themselves they are wrong and give up on it altogether. This is not the correct way to handle the situation. Likewise, in soccer, a player has to believe in themself. Athletes have to step onto the field everyday with the pure mindset of showing everyone that they are capable of doing what no one thought they were. This is a huge key to success both in school and sports.
Playing sports in high school has taught me more life lessons than books or worksheets ever could. I have learned how to succeed in school with the help of sports, and sports have inspired me to take my education to the next level.
