Attending sport in American School

Attending and playing sports is one of the most important things in American High School. Unlike the Vietnamese, Americans greatly appreciate playing sport at school. Therefore, American High Schools strongly support their students to play sports. Any American students know and play at least one sport such as football, basketball, volleyball, soccer, tennis and so on. To avoid being a “nerd”, everybody should play sports.

Vietnamese people have the concept that their kids should spend more time in class rather than attending sports. However, American people’s preferences of those two are the same. There are many cases of students who do not have good grades still qualify for full scholarships in college because of their great ability to play sport. One of the most persuasive examples is Le Quang Liem – top Vietnamese chess player. He earned full scholarship from Webster University because of his amazing achievements.

Le Quang Liem qualified for full scholarship from Webster University

In fact, playing sports benefits every human being, not only students. Health is one of the best gifts God had given us. So why don’t we keep a good health by attending sports? One of the facts that may make Vietnamese parents hesitate to let their kids spend more time playing sports is there would be no chance for their kids to have good jobs after colleges. It seems a big deal for parents and it’s worth to think over it. But don’t worry, sports train people to face and overcome challenges. Furthermore, scientists have proved that playing sports helps people have more concentration on doing other works.

Because of its benefits, American schools seriously care about sport. They have strong and diverse program for sport. Thus, each school has different programs for different sports. For example the West Coast side (Washington, Oregon and California State) is very famous for having strong running program. They are willing to give students big scholarships if students have great sporty talents.

High School Sport Team logos

One more reason that students should play sport in school is honor. Because American schools are very serious about playing sports, they have many big tournaments and competitions. Some of the tournaments are very big and competitive such as High School District Championships or High School State Championships. Therefore, to win those competitions is not easy at all, and once a student gets a first place in one of those tournaments, it will be very honorable for not only himself, but also the entire school.

I am glad I had a chance to study and play tennis in America. I got a chance to play with my tennis team and practice with my coaches. Those experiences never happened when I was in Vietnam are amazing and memorable. I have earned ninth place in Washington State Tennis Championships.

2014 Washington State 2A Boys Tennis Championships (Author on the right)

Through this article, I hope Vietnamese students who want to study abroad in America spend more time attending in sports rather than sticking around in class. The first impression when somebody first judges you is always your health, your appearance, and sport would take care of that concern. So why don’t we put those sporty shoes on, bring a bottle water, grab a towel and have fun with your friends on a football field or a tennis court. Trust me, it’s worthy to invest your time and your attempt in sport. Who knows one of us could become a second Roger Federer, Michael Jordan or even Pelé.