StartFragmentSo this i what i ended up writing for my rought draft. In the paper we are supposed to evaluate a topic we pick and back it up with validation. We also have to use 3 outside sources. I would like some criticism
I
loved to play hockey when I was younger. I played the sport for six years. I
had a great time because firstly, I was passionate about the sport. Winning and
losing mattered to me. Secondly, my dad was my team’s hockey coach for the
majority of the years that I played. My dad is a shy and introverted man; it is
hard to connect with him at most times. However, our shared passion for the
sport brought us closer and provided a bridge to close the gap between us. I always enjoyed hockey. However, as I
grew older, it became less enjoyable. I found that parents and players alike
placed more importance on winning rather than the passion and enjoyment I got
from playing. Aggression rose between teams and between parents of players. I
began to loose my interest in hockey because it was no longer about passion; it
was about ideas that I did not agree with.
Sure,
I had a great time playing hockey. Scoring the game winning goals, creating
great friends, and bonding with my
father were all were reasons why I was attracted to hockey. The majority of the
years I played will always be remembered fondly.
However,
I cannot say that hockey created who I am today. Unfortunately, according to my
personal experiences and the experiences of close friends, I can safely say
that team sports play a negative role in our character development as we
transform into young adults.
As
my passion with hockey began to die, I began exploring other interests. That’s
when I found skiing. Unlike hockey, my parents played no influence in my
newfound interest. My passion in skiing developed as a personal choice.
As
I look back in retrospect, skiing can be held responsible for playing the
biggest role in my development into a young adult. I would not be who I am today
if I never found skiing. Skiing is not just a sport, it’s a lifestyle. Unlike
team sports, skiing can be held responsible for constructive character and
value development. Unlike other sports, skiing positively molds the character
of many young adults in today’s world. The lessons I have learned from skiing will
be helpful during my future life experiences.
In
my opinion, I feel that the audience too easily affects the athletes
participating in team sports. During most hockey matches I played, parents,
friends, and others filled the seating in the stadium. I feel like individual’s
actions during the game are too easily influenced by the crowd. According to
the social standards surrounding sports, more importance is placed on winning
rather than enjoying playing the game.
According
to a study done by Andy Rudd and Sharon Stoll, “Team sport athletes scored significantly higher than
non-athletes and individual sport athletes on the social character index. In
contrast, team sport athletes scored significantly
lower than non-athletes and individual sport athletes on the moral character
index.” In this study, the social character index was a measure of the
importance the participators placed on the social aspects of a game, such as
teamwork, and importance to win a game.
The moral character index was a measure of the importance the
participators placed on moral aspects of sports such as the enjoyment
experienced from playing the sport. In summary, team athletes found that
winning the game was the most important aspect of the game, while non athletes
and individual sport athletes agreed that enjoyment of participation was the
most important aspect of their respective sports.
Team
sports definitely have a much more structured system that aim towards the goal
of winning, while skiing encourages individualism. Additionally, teams receive encouragement from the audience,
their coach, and fellow players, while in skiing there is not social
encouragement. The social aspects of team sports cannot be applied to skiing.
Skiing is a sport where the individual has to set goals and motivate himself or
herself to achieve their goals.
Therefore, skiing not only allows the freedom to choose goals, but it
also encourages individuals to motivate and push themselves to achieve. From this perspective, it is easy to
see how an individual sport like skiing is better for individual development
rather than a team sport.
In
team sports, the arena is always the same. In the game of hockey, there are two
goals, two goal lines, and center ice. There is never any change in the playing
environment for team sports. With skiing, however, there is much more of an
environmental awareness. In my opinion, there could be nothing better than
being outside on a beautiful blue-sky day, while zooming in and out of the trees. Skiers have much more of an enjoyment
and awareness for nature and the outdoors, while team sports in no way
encourage environmental awareness and appreciation for mother nature.
When
I played hockey, often times fights would brake out between players with
encouragement from parents in the stands. I felt an unnecessary amount of
aggression from all players because of the importance placed on competition and
the influence parents played in player’s lives. Hockey was too competitive for my liking. Joseph Doty summarized my feelings: “A
major and consistent problem [team] sports today, at all levels, is the
prevalence of improper behaviors and poor character. Cheating scandals, drugs,
violence, disrespect, and other inappropriate
behaviors in sport, have almost become expected or the norm. ” The
skiing environment is completely the opposite. Skiers all share the passion for
the thrill of skiing no matter what ability level. Everyone who throws on a
pair of skis is brought together by the love for the sport. When I stand in the
lift line, I don’t feel like it’s a competition. The lift line is made up of
people who share the same passion that I do. There is no aggression or
competition felt. We are all on the mountain to ski, relax, and have a good
time. There is definitely a strong sense of community within mountain towns. On
a powder day, the sense of community and love for the sport could not be more
tangible. During past powder days, my friends and I would be flying down runs while
fresh powder flows over the tips of our skis and shoots up and over our bodies.
From the lift above, screams of encouragement and excitement can be heard. I
never got this feeling or sense of community while playing hockey. By the end of my hockey career, I
actually felt the opposite.
I
am a member of on online freeskiing community called www.newschoolers.com. I logged on and
asked fellow members why they were passionate about skiing and how skiing has
affected their growth into young adults. Their responses mirror the ideas I
have been discussing. Member Cc_steeze stated, “For me, skiing was an escape and gave me exposure to a
lot of things I would never have discovered. Skiing gave me an outlet and an identity,
which as a high schooler, I needed desperately. I made some of the best friends
on earth from skiing, many of which live very differently than I do. I lost a
large, judgmental, part of myself because of this, for which I will be forever
grateful. I would be extremely naive if I never had my job teaching skiing or
never met the people who made skiing what it was. It taught me how to
appreciate nature, understand my own body and discover limits and needs of
people. “
I
have nothing against team sports. Team sports are a great way to get exercise,
compete, and meet new people. However, there are certain aspects of team sports
that caused me to turn to skiing. I don’t think I would consider skiing a sport
however. Skiing I s a lifestyle. Because of the elements surrounding skiing, I
believe that skiing is a great way to discover oneself especially during teenage
years. Skiing has given me an identity that revolves around individualism,
passion, creativity, community, tenacity, nature, and love.
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