By Nicole Miller
Participating in an athletic activity during one’s youth is an invaluable experience. In addition to building a discrete set of skills on the track, court or field, students develop perseverance and grit, confidence, and wellness, which can contribute to success in life.
Perseverance & Grit: Whether playing an intramural or interscholastic sport, students can engage in a variety of athletic opportunities throughout their years at Hillel. Our dedicated coaches and athletic staff help students develop faith in their abilities and in themselves. Through drills, games, and tournaments, students develop new skills, strengthen existing skills, and display them during play, realizing they can accomplish more than they thought at the outset. They may come to realize that while winning is a goal, it isn’t necessarily the prize; grit and resilience prove more valuable.
Confidence: Athletics also teach students to build the confidence to see tasks through to their end, and to honor their commitments; and they are reminded that they have learned and can execute new strategies to help them overcome challenges on and off the field. Hillel intramurals, for example, offer a safe and welcoming environment in which students can explore an interest, and grow with their classmates in a non-competitive setting. Alumni report often that both intramural and interscholastic athletics at Hillel helped them recognize that what they learned on the field helped them confidently overcome challenges in various life situations.
Wellness: What’s wonderful about an athletic program for Hillel students is that it may spark a passion for a new hobby at a time when their youthful energy is endless, and it is our hope that this carries forward as they mature, promoting a life balance that includes physical activity and a commitment to a healthy lifestyle. And because they are focused on the joy of playing with friends, rather than winning alone, it can be a wonderful age to coach.
The messages learned through an athletic program aren’t contained to school, by the way. Parents are partners in this mission. As adults, we all have a responsibility to nurture children’s unbridled joy, to listen as athletes struggle, to help them come up with solutions, and to encourage and cheer them on from the sidelines.
