|
|
This is only a preview of the paper
Click here to register and get the full text.
Existing members click here to login
|
|
|
THE POSITIVE INFLUENCE OF MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETICS
I believe that every child has the opportunity to succeed in life, but that environment and circumstances help shape their destiny. ... Regardless of environment and circumstances, coaches and teachers can and do make a positive impact on adolescent lives in regards to athletics.
As a young athlete in high school, I was convinced that everyone else was better, faster, and more talented than I was. ... The day I was four feet in the air and horizontal in left field as I caught a line-drive, was the day I received compliments from other athletes in the school after seeing that picture in the school newspaper! ... One of the hardest distinctions between middle school and high school athletes to trying to predict their measure of success.
"Middle school coaches cannot always tell which of their athletes are going to
achieve success later on. ... " (Doering, 1997)
John Porcelli, the head football coach and Athletic Director of Morristown
High School in New Jersey, is a living example to his players of overcoming hardship and perseverance. ... " (Golden, 2000)
Playing middle school or high school athletics has to be a way of life for kids. ... Athletics can be the most dependable thing kids have going in their lives. ... A major reason sports and other extracurricular activities are credited with helping students stay in school is the fairly recent innovation of tying eligibility to grade production. ... Local school districts sometimes add other restrictions, such as class attendance on the days of events (Thompson, 1994). ... David Hoch, his athletic department (no school cited) recently made a list of the factors involved in the process of attaining a county championship title for one of their JV teams. ... He wanted them to look beyond the winning syndrome and present the public with a more accurate assessment of athletics (Hoch, 2001).
I also believe that student testimonies are the strongest indicators of how athletics at the high school and middle school levels can impact students lives. Many "at-risk" kids, who have no interest in school, are drawn to the athletics programs with a little encouragement. ... Ron was so drawn to wrestling as a positive and manageable way to redirect his feelings. ...
"I became more interested in school after I started wrestling. ... "
(Thompson, 1994)
Ron finished high school and is a student at Rancho Santiago College.
Approximate Word count = 1946
Approximate Pages = 7.8
(250 words per page double spaced)
|
|
|
|
|
|