Friendly Strife

Last week I shared the challenges and triumphs of raising a high school senior. While “senioritis” may be the primary cause for the challenges, the biggest enabler for success is high school sports!

As I sit here on my day off from work, 90 miles from home, waiting for what seems like an eternity for my oldest son’s high school tennis match to start, I can’t help but feel thankful.

Thankful he is healthy enough to play sports. Also, thankful he found a sport he enjoys and plays well enough to at least make his high school team.

But most of all, thankful he learned at an early age the discipline, camaraderie and drive that only competitive sports can teach. I am confident these values will stick with him and help enable success throughout his life.

Like a lot of things in life, I didn’t understand the value of competitive sports until I joined the Army. I didn’t participate in organized sports as a kid for a variety of reasons I won’t bore you with here.

The Army puts a premium on athletic competition. When I entered active duty at age 23, I certainly had some catching up to do! General Douglas MacArthur best put into words how the military views sports with the oft quoted, “upon the fields of friendly strife are sown the seeds that, upon other fields, on other days will bear the fruits of victory”.

My own experiences leading Soldiers for 24 years validated his sentiment. Those Soldiers I served with who competed in high school or college athletics just seemed to thrive in the military quicker. Some of the best leaders I served with were former athletes. I’m certainly not disparaging those of us who served but weren’t on a sports team in our youth. I would just offer myself as a prime example. Without the benefit of an upbringing with team sports, it may take a little longer to develop as a leader.

These observations are exactly why when our two sons were born, my wife and I nudged them from an early age to find a sport. When they were little, we signed both up for just about every little league team with no success. They were always the kids picking grass in the outfield or running towards the wrong goal in soccer!

At age 8 our youngest found his sport first, competitive swimming. Shortly thereafter at age 11, our oldest picked up a passion for tennis. We spent a lot of resources on coaches and clinics over the years. But with hard work, they both earned spots on their respective high school teams.

While they may not be the team standouts (yet), they definitely pull their weight. Proud of my oldest who won three of his four matches while I typed this blog!  More importantly, they are learning life lessons on the court and in the pool that aren’t taught in a classroom. Lessons about preparation, determination, mental focus and teamwork.

Neither have aspirations to win athletic scholarships but both expect their commitment to competitive sports will enhance their college applications. In fact, as I alluded to last week, I am very confident sports helped strengthen our oldest son’s college application. He earned admission to a college whose annual acceptance rate is generally around 10%.

College admission committees recognize the dedication that goes into high school sports. More importantly, extracurricular activities coupled with great academics indicate a young person who is already excelling in time management. Definitely a desired quality for the college bound student!

The moral of the story? Get those kids outside playing a sport! It really doesn’t matter if they are swinging a racket, doing laps, on the mat or any of the dozens of options. They won’t all end up with full ride athletic scholarships or in the Olympics, but they will have a head start and competitive advantage in the game of life.

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Views, opinions and biases expressed in this blog are the authors and do not reflect those of the U.S. Army or Department of Defense.

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