How playing sports can help students with academics

So you may wonder, why try out for a sports program? Sports can help get you into college and can help with scholarship opportunities.

Sports helps maintain a student’s GPA, which can play a huge part if you are offered a scholarship to play for a college.

“It helps them academically, because there is a lot of current research out there that shows that athletes maintain a higher GPA than non-athletes. It also gives them a better overall experience, because when colleges look for acceptance, they want to see a well rounded individual,” said Football Coach Arnold Ale.

“If they may not have the money to go to college, a sports scholarship is a great way to get there,” Carson junior and football player Chris Shaw said.

While most tryouts may be based on that players skill and effort, the tryouts for the CHS football team may be different than others.

“Sports promotes teamwork, physical activity, time management, self discipline, and organization so athletes can keep their grades up,” Volleyball Coach Ralph Mertens said.

When trying out for a team, it’s important to attend each day of tryouts and be on time.

“Our tryouts aren’t really based on skill, our tryouts are based on attendance,” said Football Coach Arnold Ale.

Having experience in a sport will help a student in the process of trying out for a team.

“If you want to play a sport, you can’t just commit without experience. You should have some sort of experience, whether I’d be parks and rec or travel ball. If they don’t have the proper experience, it will be hard because it gets pretty competitive,” Carson football coach Arnold Ale said.

Shaw had to go through the whole tryout process before being accepted to his team.

“Just do you. If you think you’re good enough, then just try your best and put all your skillset out there. If the coaches think that you are good enough and has what it takes, they will put you on the team,” Shaw said.

Coach Mertens also offered some tips.

“Get there early, have all your paperwork done, stretch, bring water, don’t be intimidated, listen to the coaches, and hustle,” Mertens said. The question we all should be asking each other now is, do you have what it takes to tryout for a sports team?