Sports Go Inside for the Winter

They are still there. They have just moved indoors in preparation for the inclement weather. With the move not only has the location changed but so have the sports being played as well as many of the individuals playing them. Football gives way to wrestling, cross country gives way to indoor track. Yet as much as the sports change and the individuals vary, the fact remains that every season the Trinity sports teams are bombarded with players hoping to participate.

So why is it that no matter what the sport and no matter what the season and no matter what else the students have to do there are still so many that are willing to devote their time and their energy to sports? Just as there is a profusion of players willing to play there are just as many reasons for them to be there. They are as different from each other as the people participating are different from each other.

Many people join sports teams to get in shape. That is one of the more basic reasons. A sports team provides a disciplined way to stay in shape that you can't blow off just because you don't feel like it or you are too tired. It gives students an incentive to keep themselves in good shape when they might not be able to give themselves enough on their own to guarantee a rigorous schedule at the gym.

Some like the feeling of being part of the team. For many it is a great basis for meeting people outside of classes. They have a set group of people that they know are going to be there every afternoon and they can count on that. There are people who like having this feeling in order to be more confident outside of the athletic arena. This of course brings us to the fact that sports many times instill people with confidence that they wouldn't have otherwise. And sometimes people seek this confidence for their own reasons. Sophomore Jake Paquin was in a motorcycle accident a little over a year ago and there was the possibility that he would never be able to wrestle again. Now, having recovered almost fully, part of his motivation when he does wrestle is, "...to prove to myself I can do it."

The rigidity of a sports schedule can help people to better manage their time outside of practice, though few people play sports for this particular reason alone. They are using discipline in practice and that carries over into the other parts of their lives. From personal experience, during a sports season I manage my time in respect to homework much better than after the season has ended. If I know I can't stay up late because I have a game the next day and I only have two hours before the exhaustion from practice completely takes over my body then I am much more likely to actually do the work for tomorrow and not goof off for a few hours first.

At the same time sports provide a great release for stress. When the stress of school work starts getting to people it can help to go to practice where they tell you what to do and while you are working your body you can give your mind a rest for a few hours. Or if you are having a fight with your significant other it can help to go out on the tennis court and hit some balls as hard as you can for a few hours. Humans are creatures who get stressed and having an outlet for that can really be a benefit.