In an article entitled "7 Lessons Playing Sports Will Teach You" author Haille Saal, states "discipline, respect, friendship, overcoming adversity, leadership, resilience and teamwork - are developed in all sports." Each listed skill is valuable in athletics, in the classroom, and also in life. 

Benefits listed in the article include:

1. Discipline: Discipline helps you achieve success, better and faster. It also teaches you that not everything will be a victory and you have to work harder next time.

2. Respect: Having respect for your coaches in sports helps students later on in life when dealing with adults or authoritative figures.

3. Friendship: Some of the best friends come from playing sports together and this sort of bond helps young boys and girls prioritize the things that are most important to them.

4. Overcoming Adversity: Sports are not easy; all athletes are guaranteed to have a hard time at some point in their career. Going through a slump usually brings out the player’s true self. Dealing with your own personality when it comes to tough situations can help you improve yourself and cope better with adversity.

5. Leadership: Even if you were never captain of the football or baseball team, leadership skills are always implemented in athlete’s brains. It is always encouraged to strive to be the best that you can be, acting as a role model to people around you.

6. Resilience: Like overcoming adversity, resilience teaches you that you can't always win. However, it also teaches you to get back up and keep going; to not let anything or anyone stand in your way. Getting past your fear and leaping into uncertain situations is a skill that can incessantly be applied to real life.

7. Teamwork: Realizing that a team's success is not solely on your shoulders is a lesson largely applied to sports. This also carries over to the real world because working well with people will always be a factor when trying to get a job. Adjusting to people you don't necessarily like is also a skill picked up from sports. As the old saying goes, "there is no I in teamwork."

As the Middle School concludes its winter sports season and moves toward the spring, consider trying a sport you haven’t played before either at Moravian Academy or with a local club or a township league. There is much to learn and there are great benefits for both the here and now and also well into the future.