Parenting

Now, I know I am not a parent and I have not ever been put in a parent's shoes, but there are some things parents need to know. Parents need to understand the way their child works and what he/she likes for input. Some parents get so caught up in their child's athletic careers that they have basically taken up a position as their child's coach. Not all kids enjoy having their parent criticize everything they do, especially in sports.

If your child is one that gets angry when you mention a mistake they made during a game, they probably do not welcome your feedback. Some players don't even like to hear the positives of the game and want to keep sports out of their relationship. Knowing how your child reacts to different things is extremely important. You could add to the stresses of your child by nagging them to do better or pointing out what they need to work on.

Other kids love to hear what their parents have to say and want to hear every little detail of how they played. While, I do not know many kids out there like this, it is something you should take into consideration. Do you show up to your child's games? Do they know how much you support them? If they do not feel supported, they might need a little more closure on how they played.

I am a child that likes to hear feedback from my parents, but not so much detail on what I did wrong. I know the mistakes I made, and do not need to be reminded. I would like to focus more on the positives, but the negatives are so much clearer in my mind. If I had a bad game you might as well just not talk to me, because I already know what I could have done to do better. It is always nice to hear your parent's input though and athletes should always show respect to their parents, no matter how angry they are.

It is extremely important that athletes and parents have an understanding of each other's feelings towards criticism. While one might think it will help, the other will not feel comfortable with it. Parents should always ask if athletes want to talk about the game or not, because just diving into conversation might make the athlete a little angry. Remember, athletes are tired from playing and a little too hard on themselves. Just try and make it easier on them, without sugar-coating it.

Men's Volleyball vs. Women's Volleyball

As you can probably tell from other posts, I am an athlete who absolutely loves volleyball. Volleyball consumes most of my life and is something I truly enjoy playing. Volleyball is a wonderful sport that takes a lot of both mental and physical strength, whether you believe it or not. The sport is extremely entertaining to watch, in my opinion. I mean, who wouldn't want to watch people fling their bodies towards a ball? I would choose to watch a volleyball game over a football game any day. While volleyball itself is interesting, it is even more interesting that males can play this sport as well. 

Most people think of girls in tiny little shorts when they think of volleyball. The idea of a male competing in a volleyball game (in basketball shorts don’t worry) slips the minds of everyday people. Only some areas in the country give opportunities for men to play volleyball. If you ever have the chance to watch a men's volleyball game, I highly encourage you to go and watch. Men's and women's volleyball has the exact same rules, except the men's net is a little bit higher up. Other than that everything is exactly the same, besides the level of play.

Watching men's volleyball for the first time is an experience you will never forget. The level of play is so much more intense and higher than most women's matches. The ball is hit five times harder and the blocks are so much higher. Watching the ball be pounded to the ground and the crowd going wild is something extraordinary. There is nothing out there like men's volleyball.

While I am a girl who plays volleyball and enjoys watching volleyball, I would have to say men's volleyball is a lot more interesting to watch. The ball moves quicker, is hit harder, and everything seems so big. The guys who play seem to be giants compared to everyone else, who have some kind of super strength. Men's volleyball is very underappreciated, yet I find it to be one of the most interesting things to watch. The more guys we can get to go out at a young age, the more popular it will be become. I guess the issue is, that guys don't think playing volleyball is cool or manly enough. Trust me, when you get six packed you won't be saying it is a wimpy sport.

Shaving Your Legs

If you are a female athlete you know the struggle of shaving your legs. Every night before a game or meet you must shave all of the hair off of your legs so that the people in the stands don't get a glimpse at the tiny forest on your legs. Being hairy for females is not looked at as a good thing in today's society. Guys don't seem to like girls who have hairy legs or armpits, but why don't guys shave as well?

Girls are expected to keep a clean shaven body no matter the circumstances, otherwise they are seen as disgusting by males. Shaving, for me, is a preference, because I am not a fan of having hairy legs, especially in sports. No one wants to rub up against a girl while going up for a layup and feel their hair legs or armpit. That is very disgusting. I am someone who definitely needs to shave my legs before a game or meet.

While I like to shave when I know people will be seeing me, or if I am in shorts or a dress, I don't always shave regularly in the winter. By no means am I skipping a whole entire week, but I do stretch out the days. Most of my friends like to shave their legs, but do not follow a regular schedule in the winter as well. Now, when girls don't shave it is not extremely noticeable so it's not a big deal as long as it hasn't been that long, but it can start to get annoying. Some girls think guys hold double standards for women and should shave their legs, but my opinion is that both men and women should do whatever they want. I have my preferences, you have yours. Stop complaining and get on with your life.

Shaving does take extra time from your night and can be a pain in the butt, but it does leave your legs feeling smooth and looking good. Don't let other people tell you how to live your life, or your teammates make you feel bad about a little hair. We all have it and it is natural. You can choose to do whatever you want and should not fall into peer pressure. Your legs are yours and yours only. Athletes are busy and are sometimes too tired, let them be.

Appreciate Life

Life as a high school student athlete leaves you with busy nights and barely any sleep. You are always extremely tired and wanting to just sleep all day every day. As the days go on, you continue with your normal routine and simply go through the motions. If there is ever the chance, you will go to sleep early. This is the average life of anyone who plays sports, but why do we let ourselves do that? High school student athletes do not appreciate their everyday life nearly enough.

The sport you have chosen to play must be important to you, otherwise you wouldn't be continuing to play it. At practice it may seem like you do the same drills every day or you start to get bored of the activities. Appreciate the coaches and athletes that surround you. Appreciate the person next to you pushing you to get better. Life is so great and wonderful, that we sometimes seem to forget because we are caught up with the stresses of our everyday life. You have been blessed to be able to compete in the sport you love and attend school in order to prepare for the life ahead of you. Athletes need to understand that other countries don't have the same opportunities as us. Other schools might not offer the same things as yours. Some countries don't even have the sport you play. Be appreciative of the situation you are in, no matter how awful it seems. There is always someone else going through a struggle much more difficult than your own.

Appreciating life isn't simply being happy all of the time, but enjoying every moment, bad and good. Making memories and being grateful for everything you have is being appreciative. High school student athletes always get caught up in how they are performing, but if you just stop for a minute and take a look that all you have accomplished you can go so much farther. Knowing that you have potential and can increasingly get better, while enjoying every second of it, is going to make you a better player. Appreciate the coach you aren't too fond of, or the teammate you don't really get along with, because they were put into your life for a reason. You are capable of anything if you have a little bit of courage and do not take anything for granted. Life is short, so make the most of it.

Becoming a Senior

As a student athlete most of your focus is on improving each year in the sport you play. If you are extremely committed and absolutely love the sport you play, time can go by very quickly. It might seem like freshman year was only a couple months ago and now you are preparing to go into your senior year. Where did the time go? Why are you so close to being an adult? Since when did you grow up? Senior year is supposed to be one of the best years of high school, but why is it so many people dread it?

Senior year is followed by many goodbyes. Goodbyes to your friends that you will no longer see when you go off to college. Goodbyes to your family if you decide to move out. Goodbyes to your pets. Goodbyes to your coaches and goodbyes to your teammates. Senior year is extremely sad when you think about all you will be leaving behind.

One of the hardest things for me will probably be counting down my lasts. I will be overcome with sadness when I realize I am playing in my last home game, or my last high school tournament. Saying goodbye to the people you have played with the last four years is going to be extremely difficult and heartbreaking, but you must look forward to the future.

After high school graduation, athletes will experience a new life at college and meet tons of new people. If you decide to continue playing the sport you love and have already put so much time into, you will get to experience collegiate sports. You will meet new teammates who will be just as wonderful and have even more competition to look forward to at games. Playing a sport in college will really allow you to adapt to the new school a lot easier. By already being a part of a group of people, you have made the first step at becoming comfortable. College really isn't going to be that bad.

When you look back on your senior year it will be filled with memories. You will miss it. You will miss high school, your teammates, and coaches, but that doesn't make the next step any less significant to your life. Remember, you are not the only one that is going to be the new student at college. Everyone around you has experienced a sudden change in their life. It is up to you to embrace it.

Why "March Madness"?

"March Madness" is extremely popular and something almost everyone I seem to talk to is interested in. Everyone looks forward to this month, just for the simple fact that they can begin to participate in the annual bracket creations. What makes this so great and addictive to people that aren't even athletes or interested in basketball?

I think one of the many reasons so many people get caught up in this month full of basketball is because it involves innocent bets meant to be fun. So many people put their money in just for a chance to win it all. Everyone fills out a bracket and hopes to have the lucky picks. Some people participate in online bets or friendly ones with close friends. The thrill of maybe having a correct bracket leaves everyone curious and anxious for the end.

The reason why the basketball teams are getting so much recognition and sales is because everyone has invested their time in watching these games. Their brackets depend on the outcomes of these games and make watching them even better. Viewers are stressed out, yet excited to see if their team will win. If your team ends up not winning, you end up joining the pool of people who have lost the chance to win the big bucks. People will do anything for money, or recognition in any way. The competition to have the winning bracket is what makes this all so irresistible.

I have to admit that I have given in to this addictive month of basketball. Creating a bracket is extremely fun and makes watching the games just that much more interesting and I can definitely see why people love "March Madness". I have already invested a lot of my time and patience into watching many games and have stressed myself out with the devastating losses. After the first loss, you seem to be fine and still continue to watch how the games end up. Basketball is already interesting enough for me, but creating a bracket gives me even more reason to watch. “March Madness” is so popular that even after your bracket is busted, you still continue to watch all of the other games just to see how it all plays out. We all are waiting to see who the lucky winner is, if there even is one, and to find out how correct our brackets end up being.  

Benchwarmers

All athletes dream of being the star player on their high school team. You get to play the sport you love while everyone in the crowd is waiting for you to make your next move. Unfortunately, this isn't always the way it turns out to be. It isn't always how you hope it would be. As we all grow older we come to realize that there isn't equality in playing anymore. The best players on the team see the most time on the court and you must push yourself to outplay your peers. Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, there will always be players better than you. This doesn't take away from your importance on the team though. The bench player is just as, if not more, important than the starters. 

Every athlete has known someone who has had the benefit and struggle of being a bench player, or been one themselves. Bench players can be some of the kindest, energetic people on the team, their smiles lighting up the room and adding to the team's spirit. They play an extremely important role on the team, whether it seems like it to them or not. Bench players are the ones who are there to always cheer their team on, no matter how well or bad they are playing. Bench players are always there to provide their teammates with support during a game and relieve them of their stress. Bench players are essentially the heart of the team.

Your team is only as great as its weakest player, but bench players are not anywhere close to being weak. Bench players are some of the most mentally tough people you will ever meet and can handle the most stressful, painful situations. No matter how much they want to be out on the court playing, they are always smiling and supporting their team. That is true passion and commitment to the sport they love.

Most athletes do not appreciate every single person on their team nearly enough. Bench players are extremely underappreciated and should be treated as a prized possession. Having someone on your team that can sit through the game they love, while waiting to be put in, and keep the smile on their face is a great thing to have. Bench players are the strongest athletes on a team and do not get enough credit for all that they do.