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Eric Rueb makes a compelling argument for playing high school sports; why everyone should play

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Eric Rueb makes a compelling argument for playing high school sports; why everyone should play

I miss high school sports — and I’m not talking about work.

In two weeks, the Rhode Island Interscholastic League fall season will be officially underway. If you’re not signed up to play something, you need ask yourself one question.

Why?

Playing high school sports is an opportunity to do something that you’ll never be able to replicate. It’s competition, it’s fun and you’re playing for more than just yourself. No one cares about club sports or AAU. College intramurals are fun, but there’s no passion. Adult rec leagues are just an excuse to drink beer.

There are some who will continue their careers at the college level, but for most people high school is the last time you truly get to enjoy being an athlete. Don’t waste it.

The state is filled with so many talented athletes and I’m always shocked when they’re not playing multiple sports.

I understand there are sometimes mitigating factors. Some kids partake in other after school activities that call for the same commitment being on a team does. Some kids work or watch younger siblings to help out their families.

But there are many kids who have been sold a bag of goods by club/AAU coaches telling them that playing other sports is a waste of time.

If you have a semblance of athleticism and you’ve wanted to try a sport, now is the time to do it. If you don’t have an ounce of athleticism but want to try a sport, now is also the time to do it.

Love soccer but never really played before? Go out for the team. Want to stay in shape and get yourself ready for your winter sport? There aren’t any cross country programs that will say no. Have athletic ability but don’t have a fall sport? Tennis is something you can play forever.

The large majority of programs in the RIIL are looking for people to play and getting cut isn’t a problem. If you’re trying to play a sport for a high-profile program where cuts exist, try out for the team you want to play for and if you don’t make it, check to see if one of the other fall sports will take you on. The answer is, routinely, yes.

(I don’t delve into middle school sports, but if you’re running a middle school program and cut athletes you, too, should reconsider. Middle school sports is for development, not winning titles. Keep every kid who tries out and let some travel and others practice. The mismanagement at the middle school level hasn’t helped high school numbers at all.)

Every year, we see a dozen or so athletes having success in a sport they haven’t played before. More often than not, it’s a senior who just wants to hang out with their friends and playing sports gives them the perfect opportunity to.

Over the years I’ve had casual conversations with plenty and they all say the same thing — “I wish I would have tried this earlier.”

Why aren’t they?

Probably a lot of reasons. Failure is the biggest.

No one, especially athletes who have success on other fields, wants to go out and suddenly feel lost. But just getting out there is a win. The little victories there will carry you further than any feeling your “primary” sport will ever give you.

How do I know? Because it happened to me.

Entering high school, I had my plan: football in the fall, basketball in the winter, tennis in the spring. I soon realized I didn’t like football practice, got cut from hoops my junior year and that left me as a one-sport athlete.

I gave volleyball a try. I stunk, but I went hard in practice every day trying to put myself in a position to earn playing time and help our starters in practice. My crowning achievement was starting on Senior Night over a couple of players who had been with the program for three years.

In the winter, a friend asked me to join the swim team. I had nothing else going on, so I went for it. How hard could it be?

Swim pushed me in a way no sport ever had. While everyone did their yardages in the various strokes, I swam 50 freestyles again and again and again. My first 50 was around 45 seconds, but by the end of the year I cracked 30 seconds.

In my senior year of tennis I lost two matches and made second-team All-Division from my No. 3 spot. It was my sport and I enjoyed every practice and match (minus the playoff loss), but any accomplishments on the court paled in comparison to what I did in the winter and spring.

The work I put in in volleyball and swim taught me about working hard and being persistent in chasing goals. These lessons paid off in my journalism career and helped put me on the path to land my dream job. I continue to work hard because, like in volleyball, I want to prove I belong. I don’t approach work with the same stale approach because I want it to be better than it was previously, like chasing the 30 second mark in the pool.

Sports taught me this. At the time, I didn’t know I was learning them. It was a chance to hang out with friends, play for something that matters and have some fun — and that’s what I miss most about high school athletics. The lessons that came from them were a bonus.

So if you’re even thinking about trying a sport, stop thinking and just go for it. If you don’t have a sport this fall, find one and challenge yourself in a way you’ve never been challenged before.

You won’t regret it — and may end up finding out something about yourself along the way.

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