Have you ever had that feeling you were forgetting something important? That is how it felt to have a spring and early summer without sports. Having no organized sports in the spring had an impact on not only kids in school who participate in sports, but others, too.
Some of the people affected by the cancellation of spring sports were the seniors. The class of 2020 didn’t get to have one last season playing their favorite sports, such as track, baseball, softball or golf.
Younger students were also affected. This year would have been their first year to play these school sports.
But students weren’t the only people who had to tolerate this worldwide suspension. Professional athletes were also sidelined. Basketball, baseball, soccer and hockey all came to a close.
Sports are important to the lives of not just children, but adults, too. Adults who love sports will pass on the love of sports to their kids, who will then love sports as well and instill that passion for sports into their own children.
Sports are important to adolescents. Studies from the University of Missouri Health Care have shown that kids who participate in organized physical activity do better in school. Sports also help build teamwork and teach goal-setting skills that can be applied to their everyday lives, as well as in the classroom. Playing sports requires you to build patience to achieve the goals you set.
I think we should be making an effort to bring sports back into our lives again. We should start by setting up routines to make sure that kids are healthy when they are involved, such as taking vitamins to protect the immune system and keeping them at home when they begin to show signs of being sick.
Many people are affected by the cancellation of spring sports. Seniors who won’t get to come back to play, younger athletes who didn’t get their first-year experience, professionals, adults who aren’t watching them on TV, and kids who rely on sports to keep them healthy and happy.
Brooklyn Hager, 13, is a seventh-grader at Rugby High School, where she is involved in basketball, volleyball, softball, track and speech. She enjoys writing, reading, inspiring others and playing sports. Brooklyn is the daughter of Angela and Dustin Hager, members of North Central Electric Cooperative.
