High school sports are fun to participate in and to support. Rocky has lots of sports you can play or watch. In my experience, high school sports are very important, not just for results, but for so much more.  

High school sports create a good bonding experience for students. Rocky gets crowds filling the bleachers during football season and it was fun to go and watch our team, but that wasn’t the only reason I went. I went because I enjoyed being in the crowd and the feeling our big crowd gave other teams when they came into the den.

Sports can also help new and old students create friendships when they don’t have any. Over the course of a season, it doesn’t matter what sport you play, you will become extremely close with your team. If not, at least you will get a smile in the hallway. It is a good idea as a freshman to join sports because you will also gain friends–whether you like it or not!

Compared to some club sports, high school sports may not be as competitive. Sports like swim, soccer, football, lacrosse, and others, it is more difficult to play at the top level in their club than it is at Rocky. I’m not saying the level of play is bad, because it isn’t. All I’m saying is that sports in high school give kids who couldn’t, or didn’t make a club team, feel a part of a team at a potential top level.

It is something different though when you step onto a stage, a pool, a field, or a court to play in front of your classmates. You feel a sense of pride like you want to win this for them. When you wear the Lobo athletic wear, you are winning for everyone because all of the den is behind you when you compete. When you win, so do we. We gain bragging rights; we come together as a school and celebrate your victory.

I remember last year’s 2017 season of the last home playoff game, Rocky football played the best game I’ve ever been too. The entire stands were packed and we were in overtime and I couldn’t hear myself cheer it was so loud. After we won, everyone was screaming and jumping. This brought everyone on the field and in the stands so much closer together. It was a great way to end the last game at Rocky.

Sports also drive athletes to do well in school. You cannot play if you have two F’s while you are participating in a sport. Many coaches make it a lot more strict than two F’s. My soccer coach made the rule that if you have one F or two D’s you are ineligible to play. This drives students to do well in academics and athletics during the season.

Junior Brayden Lott loves “getting to know new people and finding new friends” when he plays Rocky soccer.

John Baches, a sophomore, also enjoys playing soccer for the purpose of “socializing with people in school you would never meet.”

Mason Mollenauer, also a junior, loves playing for the “satisfaction of winning for my school.”

High school sports may not be as competitive as club sports, but it is worth a lot more than just the practices and games. High school sports bring a community together. And everyone who is playing always knows they’ve got Rocky behind them.