Intramural Sports

Can you imagine quitting something you have such love and passion for? You may be thinking this is a crazy question and the obvious answer would be no, but that isn't the case for everyone.
While all schools want high performing athletic teams, school’s should understand that not everyone can make the team and when they don't make it all they feel is sad, disheartened, embarrassed, dejected and eventually could lose complete interest in the sport. I propose to you a solution that would make all coaches, students and parents appeared, Intramural sports. Intramural sports are great as they give students who don't make the team a chance to be able to play regularly, teaches them resilience and perseverance to not give up the sport. Playing intramural sports isn't just for fun, it allows you to reap rewards for your health, social life, and even academic pursuits.

The most crucial reason why we should have Intramural sports at our school is for students to maintain good health. Staying mentally and physically fit can be a hard thing to do especially when you are not part of a sports team. For example, the United States is struggling with a widespread obesity problem, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association, more than one-third of adult Americans are obese hence, physical activity couldn't be more important for the nation's health. Intramural programs provide a great alternative for those who don't have the time or abilities to compete in competitive school sports teams.
Additionally, Intramural sports at school offer you a variety of sports to choose from and will provide at least three or more training sessions per week which will help you to stay fit. Competitive sports, on the other hand, can be more rigorous in nature resulting in overworking your body and causing potential injuries to the body. Coupled with the fact that intramural sports are a team activity, your commitment to the sport and team will ensure that you turn up for practice. Many people also feel more motivated to exercise when they're playing in an organized program rather than following a personal fitness regimen.
Word Health Organisation (WHO) states that children ages five to seventeen should accumulate at least sixty minutes of moderate intensity physical activity daily, being part of an intramural sports team will ensure children get their necessary recommended work out.

Another imperative reason why intramural sports are beneficial is that it helps individuals develop leadership and team building skills in addition to creating new friendships and building bonds. Intramural sports encourage you to get to know your teammates, set aside individual differences and work together as a team. My sister plays basketball, before joining basketball she thought it would be a way to make new friends. After the first day of training she came back home complaining that all they do is train and do constant drills, “there’s barely any new time to get to know people, the only time I get to talk to people are during break times which only last a minute or two, our conversation is interrupted by the coach telling us to get back to training” she says. These are the kinds of people I believe Intramural sports are suited for. Abe Drabkin, the Director of Marketing for the National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA), points out that some researchers say organizational activity prompts the release of the hormone oxytocin, which helps team-bonding.
Furthermore, some may argue that involvement in team sports helps students build character, allowing them to develop a sense of self-control and boost their self-esteem. But others believe that when students play the sport with the sole intention of winning, it could provoke aggression and violence. 

Following that argument, intramural sports might be preferable to the more competitive sports.

In addition to keeping good health, Intramural sports are good for those who are not able to withstand the pressure and stress caused by competitive sports.
Drabkin also states that intramural sports help students maintain health and wellness while managing stress. A survey of more than 400 moms with children in organized youth sports done by The Observer says that culture of competitive sports not only puts unhealthy pressure on children but creates significant stress for parents too. Another survey was commissioned by i9 Sports, a nationwide youth sports league franchise, clearly shows that we need to change the youth sports format and add an element of fun to put less pressure on children and their families. This is significant because it strengthens my argument on why we should introduce Intramural sports at school.
Equally important, being actively involved in physical sport and exercise could help students reduce stress whilst keeping kids physically fit and mentally charged, which then helps students excel academically too. Some research has proven that physically active children do better in reading and math.

In essence, we should introduce Intramural sports at our school as it provides all the elements to mold a successful student. Although it could add extra costs to the school and finding an area to play could be hard but Intramural sports as compared to competitive sports is necessary as it encourages students to stay fit and healthy in a fun way, without causing undue stress. It helps to build new friendships, boost self-esteem and improves your collaborative skills.

Enforce A No-Cut Policy

Some schools believe that cutting students from a sports team, helps them learn life lessons, when they don’t know it can actually be a bad decision. Cutting kids from a team can leave emotional scars, and believe it or not the ones with the least self-esteem and knowledge of the sport are the ones who would benefit most from continued participation in a sport. There should be a no-cut policy in our school so that each and every child receives equal amount of participation in a sport.

A crucial reason why we should have a no-cut policy is because some think that cutting kids from a sports team teaches them a life lesson. In the “real world” we do have our successes and failures, but they are still kids, all they want is to play a sport. Why do you talk so much about a close middle school community when you are encouraging kids not to participate. The less skilled ones, would take more interest in a sport because they can learn new skills, in contrast with the more skilled, more confident students who would take this opportunity to impress others, and take it for granted rather then seeing it as a chance to learn and grow as an athlete and a student. A situation where this occurs in our very own school, UWCSEA East. In our school, this season was basketball season, and being the popular sport that it is, of course many kids signed up. Unfortunately, not all could make it. Sixty girls and sixty boys signed up, there were three teams each, for boys and girls, A, B and C team. Each team could only allow 12 kids, meaning that in all 120 people that signed up, 72 kids made it and 48 young middle school kids got cut.

Forty-eight kids got cut. Since they have six whole teams, which I’m guessing is meant so that many kids could participate, they still had to cut kids. What about those kids who worked so hard and are are so passionate about the sport. Many will be saying, you did good, try next year, but say if this year was their next year and they didn’t get it, how would you feel if that was you? Out of all the kids that got cut, many of them were talented athletes, which didn’t get their chance to show the coaches what they can bring to a team. In a cruel irony, the children who are cut, as the least skilled and the ones with the least self-confidence, are the children who would benefit most from continued participation in a sport where they can learn such skills as a good work ethic and working cooperatively with a group towards a common goal. Why do we have to cut when we have enough facilities and coaches. We have a huge field and four big sports halls, these only cover a few sports, but still, is there a specific need to cut kids?

In addition, having cuts can leave emotional scars on those who simply get cut. The ones who were so excited to play, only to find out that they can’t. You mentally feel like you aren’t good enough and you never will be. This can definitely decrease one's self-esteem. “On the first day, we were told there would be cuts. After the tryouts, I was selected for the junior varsity team. My friend, Hillary, who was a talented athlete, was not so lucky. Suffering from heat exhaustion, she performed poorly. On the second day of the three-day tryout she got sick to her stomach. I remember going with her to the locker room. She was hurt, humiliated and embarrassed by the tryout process. Sadly, Hillary didn't come back for third day of tryouts and was cut, forever out of the loop, never to return to a team to try out again.” Said Brooke De Lench. Coaches think that in two to three days they can see one’s full abilities. This is completely wrong. Not everyone can play their best all the time. To crack under pressure is normal, we all do it but coaches don’t understand that, they believe that we have to play our best every second of the day. Leaving the tryouts, knowing that you could have done better, is disappointing and that thought keeps ringing in your head, reminding you that you didn’t play your best. Then finding out that you have been cut, breaks you down, and some don’t even continue to practice that sport leisurely because the fun of playing it has vanished and they give up, never to tryout again.

On the other hand, cutting kids from a team can make them work harder to earn their place on the team. It allows them to learn the skill of resilience and teach them how to cope with failure. From the research that I have done, I have found out that around 65% which is more then half of the students in my class believe that a no-cut policy isn’t needed. These kids are the more sportier ones and haven’t dealt with failure. Although, the ones who did agree to enforcing a no-cut policy have experienced what it’s like to be cut from a team. They are the ones who have worked harder then many others to achieve their goal.

It’s true, not all bad things come out of having cuts, but there are many good things that come out of having a no-cut policy. Selection for teams or representative roles would be based on demonstrated ability. Not-cutting would ensure that the lesser skilled would have equal access to learning opportunities. I’m suggesting that if we introduce this idea into our sports program, we can prevent emotional scars, loss of self-confidence and most importantly ensure that every single child gets equal participation in a sport of their choice.


Bibliography:

"Why a No-Cut Policy for Middle School Teams Is a Good Idea." Why a No-Cut Policy for Middle School Teams Is a Good Idea. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2016.

"Fighting For Change in a Local Soccer Club: A Letter to the Club's President About the Effect of Cutting." Fighting For Change in a Local Soccer Club: A Letter to the Club's President About the Effect of Cutting. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Mar. 2016.

"Reasons For and Against Implementing a No-cut Policy in a Public School Co-Curricular Program." Reasons For and Against Implementing a No-cut Policy in a Public School Co-Curricular Program. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Mar. 2016.

"Why a No-Cut Policy for Middle School Teams Is a Good Idea." Why a No-Cut Policy for Middle School Teams Is a Good Idea. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Mar. 2016.