With the competitive nature of sports at Miami Palmetto Senior High, it can be difficult to earn a spot on a sports team. Here are five ways to stay involved without being a player:
1. Be a fan – The easiest way to stay involved with sports is to attend games and show one’s school spirit. Athletes can greatly benefit from having an “extra player” in the stands, and the support can help push the team over the finish line.
“I like rooting for the players because I feel like it helps them play better, “ sophomore and MPSH sports fan Treadwell Sturkie said.
2. Sports Medicine – Sports are physical. This raises the question: How do sports players at MPSH get help when they are hurt? The answer is MPSH’s Sports Medicine team. Led by Michelle Benz and John Barass, MPSH sports medicine attends every sports game and ensures that players are feeling their best. Whether by keeping them hydrated or healthy, sports medicine puts forth a lot of effort to keep players at their best.
“I think of myself as an athletic person. During the off-season for flag [football], I would want to be involved in sports. Sports medicine also helps me put my two interests together, which are medicine and sports,” junior and sports medicine student Jordyn Rodriguez said.
3. Cheerleaders/Chatonettes/Variations – If one does not want to be in the stands or helping with the medical aspect of sports, these three alternatives are also impactful options. Whether it is the fighting MPSH chants from the cheerleading team or the Variations’ and Chatonettes’ powerful moves, these teams bring spirit to the sidelines.
“It gives me an opportunity without having to have that insane commitment,” junior and Variations dancer Cameron Socolow said.
4. Student Managers – Sports teams can be a lot to handle sometimes, and student managers are extremely helpful to coaches. For the girls’ volleyball team, junior and boys volleyball player Carlos Ortiz helps out by tracking statistics and occasionally coaching the players. It has been a tradition at MPSH for volleyball players to stay involved year-round, since the girls’ and boys’ teams have different seasons. Taking part in managing one of the teams is a way players maintain their involvement.
“I love it because the coach for girls’ volleyball is my coach for boys’ volleyball. I’m friends with a few players on the team, I get tons of community service hours and I enjoy having school spirit,” Ortiz said.
5. Be a sports journalist – With so many amazing sports at MPSH and an abundance of students, it is important that these sports are covered for everyone. Between photography, videography and overall sports journalism, there are many ways to be on the sidelines while also helping inform the student body. Junior and sports journalist Jake Lazar is passionate about his job, and he enjoys writing about sports.
“I realized early on that I wasn’t going to make it far in sports, so sports journalism was the next best thing for me, and it’s what I want to do when I’m older,” Lazar said.
These are just five of the many ways to stay involved with sports at MPSH without being an athlete. Regardless of the one selected, each will increase one’s Panther Pride.
