Most Octorara Middle School students want sports, so shouldn’t we offer them? OMS has stopped offering school sports. Is this really fair to the students? Students, both boy and girl, want to stay active and healthy. Therefore, how can they do that without sports? OMS should have a sports program for the following reasons: better grades, less chance of drugs/pregnancy, builds leadership/social skills, and the students stay in shape.

Parents are always encouraging their children to keep their grades up, sports help with that. North Carolina High School Athletic Association did a study in 1977 and proved that athletes have a higher Grade Point Average than non-athletes. Furthermore, students have to have good grades to participate in a sport. If you have below a “C” you are not allowed to play a sport. Also sports help students with college scholarships. All in all, students are going to have to maintain good grades with sports.

Another thing parents are afraid of, when their kids are at school, is drugs/alcohol and pregnancy. Many studies have been done and actually students who play sports have a less chance of getting pregnant or doing drugs. For example, The Women’s Sports Foundation did a study that showed that students who play sports are 80% less likely to get pregnant and 92% less likely to get involved with drugs. Sports can really help students with all sorts of things.
Sports help students get leadership skills and social skills. Students will maintain a positive attitude through out the school day knowing that they have something fun and exciting to look forward to afterward. Sports are a way of building leadership by maybe becoming captain of the team or just the fact that they are on a team. Sports build social skills by students meeting others at games or meets and becoming friends. Also, students are less likely to get into trouble with the school district. Now your kid’s a leader!
Sports help kids stay in shape through running and healthy eating. Students want to be fast and quick on the field so they stay in shape. As a result, students might exercise more often and eat healthier because they want to play well and impress the coaches. Parents want their children to be productive and sports help a lot with that. Sports get kids into eating healthy and exercising daily instead of sitting around watching T.V. Sports help in many different ways.
OMS should have school sports because students will get better grades, they have less chance of drugs/pregnancy, they build leadership/social skills, and they stay in shape. Unfortunately this is not the case at OMS. OMS does not offer a sports program, nevertheless this can be changed. Students need sports for many reasons, so stop being lazy and start a sports revolution.