Growing up on Salt Spring Island there were never any academic extra-curricular activities, however there was an abundance of athletic extra-curricular activities. Throughout my time in elementary, middle and high school I participated in soccer, baseball, basketball, tennis, horseback-riding, and mainly volleyball. While I did not understand the importance of athletic extra-curriculars when I was younger, I am now able to see how they were beneficial. Being a part of a team further developed my social and communication skills, built friendships, and provided me with a community of like-minded people. Individual sports such as tennis and horseback-riding taught me self-discipline, concentration and self-esteem. In general, having the opportunity to be physically active made me an overall healthier and stronger child.
I played volleyball for over eight years, and during that time I was named most valuable player as well as team captain. It was an incredible experience to see my team become stronger through out the training season and see how the team became a positive community that we could fall back on when our academic lives were difficult. Because of this experience I was able to better understand the importance of athletics as a stress-reliever, and in the future plan on teaching my students about the benefits of being active, as well as providing them opportunities to be active.