What I Forgot About HS Sports

I was very involved when I was in high school. Whether it was the student council or the golf team, I have found memories of a busy schedule surrounded by lots of classmates. I am not the kind of person that talks about how high school is the best time of one’s life. To me, this is garbage. There is just no way that pleasing people and feeling uncomfortable in my own skin are going to be the best times of my life. I will say, however, that it was one of the easiest times of my life. I mean, think about it. All you have to do is show up to class, do your homework, and be respectful. If teenagers think this is a rough time, wait until you get your first college exam, electricity bill, or find yourself unable to pay for a tank of gas. Welcome to the life of a grown up. Yuck.

My dad is a softball coach for my old high school. A few weeks ago, I was able to watch the Bulldog softball tournament. I got a kick out of visiting with some of the girls and watching them interact. Since I am a high school teacher, I hear this all the time, but for some reason it all sounded oddly familiar when I was back home. I remembered walking through those halls and playing for the Bulldogs. Without getting too sentimental, I thought I would share a few things that I forgot about high school sports.

It’s a competition. Okay, so I’m not very competitive. In fact, there is only one game that sticks out when I was actually upset about losing. I can vividly picture the game, the locker room, and my conversation with my parents when I got home. But, for all those other games, I kind of faked it. I was kind of like, “Alright, what are we doing after the game?” I know. I’m terrible.

It’s all about the hair. This one might be only geared towards me. Getting ready for games in the locker room was always so fun. We would crank up the music, prance around in sports bras, and braid each other’s hair. For some reason, the girls in my grade were much more about looks. I remember putting on makeup to play basketball…. and sometimes even glitter. Ha.

Teamwork is the best. I really miss being a part of a team. It's awesome knowing that your teammates had your back and that you were all fighting for the same thing. I had so much school spirit, and that by far was my favorite part of high school. In fact, this was one of the reasons that I decided to become a teacher. The feeling when you walk through a school with spirit makes me so happy, so proud.

I hope you enjoyed! For some reason I feel like doing some cheers… what has gotten into me?!?