It’s your first year of high school sports, a taste of the big show. Are you preparing yourself for your season now? Utilizing the resources available to you at Linganore will not only help you make the team but it will also make you a better player. To become a Linganore athlete or a high school athlete takes dedication in and out of the classroom.

Weight Room

The weight room is open most days and is free for everyone to use with a coach’s supervision. Go by yourself or find a friend. You are as good as the work you put in. Believe it or not, others see your effort (teachers and students) and word of your effort will spread.

Grades

It all starts in the classroom: you are a student athlete–student is before athlete. If you are struggling in any classes, it is a great help to see a tutor in the building and see teachers during prep time. One 30-minute review can be a difference between a letter grade. The minimum requirement GPA to play a sport is a 2.0. Remember, you also can’t play if you have an “F” in a class. Even if you make the team with bad grades, you are failing your team by becoming ineligible and putting them in a rough position.

Team Commitment

Make sure to follow your sports team on social media and listen to the morning announcements for information on your sport. If the coach is holding clinics, go to them. If they have group weight lifting, be ready to lift. Showing commitment shows character and respect. If are you committed to your sport, show it. Be ready as a player to play for a team and not only for yourself.

Build Relationships with Peers and Coaches

One of the most important aspects to success in high school sports is chemistry with those around you. Go out and talk to the people on your team and the coaches. Getting to know your teammates and coaches can help get you noticed and liked.The better relationships you have with them off the field, the better you’ll get along on it.

Practice on Your Own Time

Not the best ball handler or always drop passes? Practicing outside of school is one of the true indicators of dedication in sports. The ability to recognize your weaknesses and have the motivation to improve them to play better is something sought after by coaches of all levels. You will rise the ranks in your sports team by working on your skills outside of school.

English teacher and JV Baseball coach Jesse Bortner says, “The more effort you put in, the more results you tend to see.”

Be Responsible

Playing at a higher level of competition in high school requires not only a daily commitment but a huge responsibility to your team, as well as being accountable for yourself. Take the blame for mistakes you make. Realize that your participation in practice matters. Don’t miss a practice because you want to play video games. If you do miss an event, notify your coaches beforehand and have a reasonable and worthy excuse.

Always Give Your Best Effort

As an athlete and a student, doing a project or doing conditioning in practice are things that are meant for you to get better. Not caring and not trying doesn’t get you anywhere in high school, or life.

To coaches like Mr. Bortner, effort sets a player aside from the rest of their teammates, especially in high school sports. “For every minute that you’re sitting around, someone is getting better than you. That’s a harsh reality you’re gonna have to face in high school.”

Trying your best shows your coaches that you are dedicated to the sport, and it shows your teammates that you are a team-first person.

Use these tips as guidelines for your athletic success in high school. Don’t be afraid to try out for a sport, and always be prepared for something new. Dedication and effort on the off the field, as well as the classroom, is the key to success in these upcoming years.