I’ve been playing sports ever since I landed here at MVS. In fact, one of my very first articles was about how being on the cross-country team made me feel like I had a place in MVS. Regardless of the quality of that article, it was, and still is, true that my participation in sports here at MVS gave me a sense of belonging. And in my opinion, that’s one of the true beauties of high school team sports. But, like many things, the experience hasn’t been perfect.
In the MVS community, there always seems to be some level of apathy toward whatever is happening. In more than one season I’ve participated in, coaches have commented on the lack of hustle and respect from athletes. And I can understand the disappointment that coaches would feel. I would assume that everybody would really like to win, especially the coaches who take time out of their day to come out.
Additionally, there doesn’t seem to be any interest in doing a sport when it is not in season. Schools will often offer training for fall or spring sports in June through August and November through March to try to keep athletes fit year-round. I think the introduction of those off-season training regimens would breed both a continued interest in the sport and, for newer students in the summer, would help them get to know the people on the team, giving them an easy way to make fast friends in a new place. Plus, having that in the morning would provide a good start for the day, because I can’t wait to be productive during summer break.
Admittedly, I’m not perfect when it comes to being respectful or being completely locked in on my sports all the time. However, I do think it’s important to bring attention to our culture, as a sport can’t be sustained with apathy. It’s something that has greatly benefited me, and I’d hope that a lot of other people could, in some way, attain that sense of belonging that I did.
If we had a stronger, more focused culture as a school, we’d create an environment where people are motivated to win. That attitude would draw even more people, and more people would make winning much easier. That kind of cycle would be great. Of course, it’s a big change, but I’m sure that, with time, it can be accomplished. From what I can tell, the Lower and Middle School teams are already trying to do this. For now, however, just showing up for practice and doing the thing will make the sports more enjoyable for everyone.