By Carly Simonian

Lately there has been a lot of talk on high school sports. Is the coaching really beneficial to our athletes? Are kids being played based off of their skills, or is it all politics? High school sports have had a good effect on nearly everyone who has participated. They help you to keep focus on your school work, while participating in a fun, yet competitive sport.

There are many different opinions on this topic, but I have found that there is one answer that is most common.

“High School sports give students an outlet to make new friends, and fill up their time with productive things,” said senior at Batavia, Taylor Rodriguez.

Just like anything, there are always going to be positives and negatives.

“It’s nice to always have something to look forward to after school and having something to fill your time. They also create a disciplined environment for your conscience. The only negative things about them are the amount of time they take up, and the coaching skills at times,”   Rodriguez said.

There was recently a large blow up with current, and past volleyball players, claiming that the coaching techniques at Batavia High School were hurting their skills more than helping them. As much as this may be true, most high school coaches just want the best for us as players, and people. They are hard on us because they see potential in us and want us to succeed.

Many colleges require their incoming athletes to have four years of high school sports, because they see them as beneficial to them mentally and physically.

“Since we have so many practices, and so much time to kill, I saw that the coaches focused on us a lot as individuals, improving my skills as a player,” Rodriguez said.

As a previous soccer player at Batavia, I found that playing on a team with your friends, actually brings you closer to the sport. I was on a team with my friends all three years of playing, and it creates a comfortable environment where you can be yourself, and be the player you want to be.

“Having participated in soccer and track through the school, I have met a large range of coaches and players, never having an issue with any of them,” Rodriguez said. “All of my teammates had a positive attitude, and encouraged me in my good, and bad times as a player.”

Overall, high school sports have had a good effect on nearly everyone who has participated. They help you to keep focus on your school work, while participating in a fun, yet competitive sport. Once again, just like everything, there are always going to be some negatives, but when it comes to the topic of high schools sports, all that came to mind were positives.