
A senior student at Ardrey Kell High School, Luke Stankavage earned a GPA of 4.4 and scored 1390 and 29 in the SAT and ACT, respectively. He belongs to the National Honor Society and the Student-Athlete Leadership Council. Luke Stankavage also plays for the AK Knights, the school’s men’s basketball varsity team.
Many scientific studies looked into the benefits of participating in team sports while in high school. These studies have reported that team sports help improve the physical, emotional, social, and academic well-being of high school students. The following are four benefits.
1. Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that high school team sports help improve a student’s overall physical health and wellness. Student-athletes are less likely to get involved in activities that have negative effects on their bodies, such as drinking and smoking. The study also found that young people who engage in sports have a lower risk of getting type 2 diabetes and obesity.
2. The Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute published a study that found sports promotes relaxation. Relaxation improves mood, enhances creativity, increases concentration, promotes better memory, and strengthens problem-solving skills.
3. The same study also found that sports foster mentorship between experienced players and younger ones and between players and coaches. Older players serve as role models, while coaches influence the personal growth of athletes to become good members of the community.
4. According to a study by the University of Kansas, 97 percent of student-athletes completed high school compared with 87 percent of students who did not participate in sports. The study added that student-athletes have better GPAs compared with non-athletes.






