Letting Them Play

 As I began to write this post, I just heard word that the Big Ten will now be playing football this fall. I believe the season will start on October 24th. I'm not sure how the season will look yet or how many teams will be involved, but they will be playing football. That brings me back to the title of this post, "Letting Them Play". If you saw my post last week, I showed a picture of our fall sport athletes. It was great to see so many of our students being involved in sports back at their home school. That is why I want to thank the high schools around this area and all their athletic directors, administrators and others that were involved in the decision to let them play and to also make it safe for them to participate.

High school sports is really an important part of a students overall health and wellness. An article I recently read stated that high school sports promotes physical health during arguably the most important time of a young person's life. Multiple studies have been conducted on the physical benefits of high school sports, and the results are largely positive. Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that students who participate in high school sports are less likely to engage in activities that could have a negative impact on their health, such as smoking and drinking. It also reduces the chance of obesity or type 2 diabetes. Sports participation also promotes mental wellness. The stress of performing well both academically and socially can be a heavy burden for students. However, by participating in sports, students not only gain an outlet to relieve that stress, but also to improve their mental health.

High school sports also teaches leadership and teamwork skills. I have witnessed this around our school so often throughout the years. The students who are involved in sports most often are great at working with others in groups, teams, etc. I know I am speaking of sports in this blog, but I have seen the same thing in our Eagle scouts, farmers and all students who have learned these skills. There are so many other skills that high school sports teachers our students, such as mentorship, time management, accountability and responsiblity. 

I know our students have worked so hard at their individual sport and really looked forward to just getting out there and competing. I wish we were able to go watch some of the contest but I realize that this year is different. However, I still like following along by reading the papers or staying up to date with facebook or twitter. Right now I would like to congratulate one of our top athletes. Kaylee Buzard, Sr Health Tech. Last night Kaylee was in the North West Conference (NWC) golf tournament for Delphos Jefferson. Delphos Jefferson won that tournament and became NWC golf champions for the third year in a row. Kaylee shot an amazing 44 last night. Congratulations Kaylee and to the Delphos Jefferson golf team. This is the reason I am glad they play. I hope this brings some normalcy to all the student athletes school year. I realize some teams aren't having the greatest year as far as wins and losses go, but in my eye, you are all winners because you are learning and growing. Good luck the rest of the year!