The Value of Athletic Competition

Trying out for or belonging to a sports team is crucial to many students’ high school experience. Because the experience is so rewarding, the risk in trying out for a sports team is most certainly worth it.

Football coach Mr. Tom Cerasani is just one of the many members of Leyden’s staff who strongly advocate that students take a risk and try out for the various sports teams Leyden offers. Mr. Cerasani believes that each student at Leyden who belongs to a sports team is taking a risk because when they compete they are always risking the chance of failure, but that’s what makes them a better player and teammate.

With athletic competition comes both physical and mental rewards. Physically, athletes get into better shape from conditioning, and mentally, athletes are shaped into tougher people from the many challenges they may come across during practice or during an intense confrontation on the playing field.

Although Mr. Cerasani does, indeed, place a high value on the physical and mental rewards that come with belonging on a sports team, he does not personally reward his football team for participation because in his opinion, the reward is competing and being on the team. Your teammates turn into family, and they will support you and be proud of you no matter what happens during a game or a match.

Mr. Cerasani belonged to his school’s football, basketball, and track teams. He recalled that he had a great experience playing for these teams. Among football, basketball, and track, football is his sure favorite! Mr. Cerasani’s success on his high school’s football team parallels his success as East Leyden’s football coach. Be it football, basketball, or one of the various sports Leyden offers, he urges each student to try out for a sport as he stresses that “to be a good teammate you have to be selfless, and that’s something that teenagers need to learn to do.” No matter your skill or size, or if you are a freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior- take a risk in trying out for one of Leyden’s sports teams, nothing can substitute the experience of playing, winning, making progress and new friends!