Sports: What actually are they?

By S. Kupfer

Everyone does some sort of sport. Whether it’s running, basketball, or yoga, sports are as natural as breathing. This does not, however, mean people actually stop to think about them. You don’t usually stop to think about breathing, do you? The same can be applied to sports. What actually are they? What purpose do they serve? Are they simply an extracurricular activity to get you into a college?  A way to burn calories, to stay skinny? After four intriguing interviews with our beloved House Masters and Windsor Prefect Talitha Belmonte, The Lion might just have the answer.
 
Are sports simply extracurricular? An additional aspect of school life? Our Windsor Prefect doesn’t exactly think so, “Sports are a very individual thing, they’re very unique,” she explains. Having done volley, basketball, swimming and so many others, Talitha must be right. Truly, no activity out there blends fun, talent, art, and achievement the way sports do. “I do yoga, pilates, cycling”, says Tudor House Master Mrs Goto- it seems as if Pauleans participate in quite a diverse range of physical activities, probably because sports in general have a way of being so independent, original; clearly, sports are their own special aspect, much more than an additional aspect of school life.
 
Now that that’s been established, what is to be said about our houses? Pupils are sorted into a house immediately upon their entry to St. Paul’s, barely given a chance to stop and reflect: what values are they representing? “Passion. The Windsor House is very passionate,” answers Mr Feitosa. “Resilience. The Tudors have been taking part in many competitions, always participating”, was Mrs Goto’s answer. Clearly, their resilience is paying off with the astonishing number of victories they have. Finally, “for Stuart, it’s more of the point of never giving up, always trying”, states Mrs Stipp. Quite an impressive quality to have. With all this in mind, it is more than reasonable to assume that each of the houses at St. Paul’s is as authentic as they are exciting- just like sports!
 
On the other hand, it would be unfair to write about the individuality of sports without mentioning the negatives. After all, nothing is without disadvantages. However, it seems as if here at St. Paul’s the downsides of sports are rarely apparent- likely because sports are so embedded into Paulean culture, that the disadvantages are tiny in comparison to the benefits. “I feel like there aren’t that many serious injuries here,” claims our Windsor Prefect, “and when there are, people always go back to their sport”. Pauleans returning to their sport right after suffering the pain and inconvenience of an injury serves to show how much sports are worth it. There may be risks, there may be nuisances, but the experience makes it so, so worth it.
 
Although there is no definite answer to “what are sports?”, it is obvious that here at St. Paul’s, sports are as important as hydration and as exciting as the holidays. They are more than a mere extracurricular, more than a way to stay skinny. Sports represent determination, trust, and so much more- and this is why so many of our Pauleans love them so much.