Watching the state championship varsity soccer team on Tuesday, there are so many clichés that come to mind about playing hard, doing one’s best, developing character, and more.  But then I am reminded of a New York Times article last year about a high school student who set out to poll the athletes about why they do what they do.

 

Young Peter Bartson of Connecticut wanted to replicate a 20-year-old study by scientists at Michigan State’s Institute for the Study of Youth sports who polled young athletes about their reasons for participating in athletics.

 

Barston’s findings were similar to those at Michigan State two decades before, and they were surprisingly simple. Players play not just to win, or not even to win, but to have fun. Sure, as athletes grow, the stakes for things like college scholarships and sports resumes grow as well. But Barston found that athletes are out there to get away from the other parts of their daily lives and to have fun with their friends.

 

It is by watching them as teachers, parents, friends, and fans that develops a collective school spirit in their accomplishments. Despite Tuesday night’s loss to Peak to Peak in the final soccer game, I saw players who cared a great deal about one another and their school, who made all of us proud, and who created memories to last a lifetime.  Thank you for the remarkable and overwhelmingly positive fan support. Congratulations to all of our athletes, and just like the lyrics from Green Day that were written on the wall of the Upper School, “I hope you’ve had the time of your life.”