University Interscholastic League: Student Analysis

In mid-1999, a student by the name of B.J. Durham transferred schools as a result of his mother’s divorce and financial struggles. B.J. was a cross-country/track star at his previous school, Park Tudor Private High School, and was rumored to be moving for athletically-motivated reasons. Because of the hearsay, B.J. was not granted full-eligibility by the IHSAA but partial. B.J., the plaintiff in this case, was also denied access to the Hardship Exception which would’ve granted him athletic eligibility in full. B.J. and his family took their case to court. The court issued a permanent injunction against the IHSAA’s decision, to which the IHSAA later appealed. The court stood on their decision,

In my point of view, extracurricular activities are what shape a student into what they are or become. SkillsUSA is a career and technical student organization that helps students obtain the leadership, hands on, professional, and employability skills that America is searching for. Although at first, students do not find this extracurricular activity as interesting as a sport, they fail to recognize that this organization is for students and ran by students. As Pope John Paul II said, “The future starts today, not tomorrow.” Today, I know that SkillsUSA is helping me take a step closer to what I want to do in my

I play football, soccer, basketball, and run track. Consistently, I have evolved into a leader on each team of which I am a member. I am generally considered a captain or play some kind of leadership role on the team. During practices, games, and meets, I have always helped younger or less experienced teammates. Although I am frequently playing two sports at the same time each season, and have many practice and game expectations of me, I have never allowed it to affect my grades. I have maintained nearly straight A’s throughout my elementary school curriculum. I have accomplished this because I am extremely organized and

The National Collegiate Athletic Association, also known as the NCAA, was founded in 1906 for the purpose of protecting young athletes from the dangers of the games that they partake in. There are also many reports that also say that the main reason that the NCAA was founded was due to the fact that football was starting to die out because of how physical and demanding the sport is. The president at the time was Theodore Roosevelt, who was a huge fan of the game, took action to protect the sport that he loved. President Roosevelt gathered thirteen football representatives to come to the White House and discuss with them what the sport needs. From these meetings, the president and the representatives agreed on reforms to improve the safety of the players who are participating in football. This agreement between these members thus create a group there to protect and serve the student athletes, later entitled the National Collegiate Athletic Association. Now over 100 years later, this group has expanded to over 1200 schools and institutions nationwide (“Editors of Encyclopedia 1”). This group has run into a bit of controversy throughout their years though. With having to deal with cheating scandals to rape and murder. The NCAA is one of the biggest money makers in the sports business by bringing in over 871 million dollars. The NCAA is such a controversial group because of how strict they are with how they deal with their student athletes. So many of these students do so

In Scholastic Scrimmage, I found a community of people who were as curious to learn new things as I was and as competitive (in a good way) as I was, and still am. I became captain of the Varsity Scholastic Scrimmage team in my junior year because of my dedication to the club. As captain, I established a plan in which players would be on the same teams in practices and competitions to grow as teams rather than free radicals with no direction or commitment, which was one of the major problems of the club in the past. The impact was immediate and it established chemistry between players and their teams. Many of my friends have expressed new dedication to their teams and Scholastic Scrimmage and I attribute this change to the team's first EPC

My involvement in extracurricular activities has helped me grow as a person over the past four years of high school. I have learned how to be more responsible, reliable, as well as how to be a team player and work well with others. I enjoyed playing softball and CYO volleyball and basketball. I knew it was not just about the game I was also about the people. I did my best to help my teammates.

Over the last two years of my High School education, I found the extracurricular activities I fit in the most. I am part of Student Council, National Honor Society and a member of the tennis team. They all have molded me to be the best. However, I feel like tennis has impacted me the most. It’s a sport that has taught me so much, from being physically fit, to mentally prepared for any outcome. I learned that a game it’s not about winning or losing, but about how it’s played, and what it took to get there. Being in a team is about contributing others, and learning from them. It’s about accepting that we all make mistakes, and only practice can reduce the times we make them. So many loses and few victories, but I always preferred to sheer my

“The Xaverian Chapter of the National Honor Society emphasizes leadership and service. Citing at least one anecdotal example, how have you demonstrated one of the Xaverian Values through leadership and/or service?”

Along with NHS, being actively involved in varsity sports throughout high school has made me gain a “work hard” attitude. This attitude of constantly working above and beyond will carry over to my future education and career to help me succeed. As a two-year captain of both volleyball and cheerleading, I have learned to be a team leader while also being a team player. High school sports have instilled lifelong lessons in me such as working hard, being responsible, and being a leader, that I know will aid me in by success in academics and a

I believe in hard work, perseverance, and leadership. If one works hard at something one can achieve anything that they put their mind to. How hard one work shows a lot about their character, especially when no one is watching. I believe that getting involved in extracurricular activities helps me get more involved as a leader among my peers

Is the premium placed on winning, driving coaches to cross the line? Sadly, hundreds of athletes are physically and verbally abused by their coach. In the case of the “player versus Midwest University, the cause of action against the head coach, athletic director and the university can be severely damage the coach’s career and the university. The player has several options and should seek legal counsel.

The “NCAA is a voluntary, unincorporated association of colleges, universities, and other institutions of higher learning.” Roughly half of the member institutions of the NCAA are either state or federally supported. NCAA members are divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II, and Division III. All three divisions of the NCAA maintain separate rules and regulations governing the recruitment of student athletes. The goal of the NCAA is to “govern competition in a fair, safe, equitable and sportsmanlike manner, and to integrate intercollegiate athletics into higher education.” To effect these goals, the NCAA provides a number of services to its member institutions, among the most important of which is regulating the recruitment of student athletes.

A 2016 study by the NCAA revealed that there are nearly eight million students who participate in high school athletics in the United States, yet only 480,000 of them will compete at NCAA schools ("Probability of Competing Beyond High School"). Of that approximate 16% who become a student-athlete, an even smaller percent will graduate and become professional athletes. For example, data from the 2015 NFL Draft demonstrates that there is less than a 2% chance of playing in the NFL. During the 2015 Draft, there were 72,788 NCAA football participants, only 16,175 of those were draft eligible for the 256 slots which equates to a 1.6% chance of being drafted to the NFL. According to the NCAA, of the 256 NCAA players selected in the 2015 NFL draft 236 were from Division I FBS institutions, 17 were from Division I FCS programs, two were from Division II programs, and only one was from a Division III program. Student-athletes from the power five conferences accounted for for 200 of the 256 draft picks (SEC=54, ACC=47, Pac-12=39, Big Ten=35, Big 12=25) ("Probability of Competing Beyond High School", 2016). With there being a small percentage of playing professional sports after college, the importance of a college degree has become a priority for many student-athletes.

When I first heard of academic bowl in my freshman year, I never realized how much I would enjoy joining the team. Seemingly random information I had picked up from the internet or tv shows actually got put to use, winning matches. Who knew Star Trek would help me answer more than one astronomy question. Even the music on my iPod helped my friend and I win our first junior varsity match, our two person team beating the full four person team. The wide range of topics meant everyone on the team was important for their “specialty” subjects like sports, literature, music, or tv and movies, creating a wonderful team dynamic.

As I entered my sophomore year, I felt that, in order to improve myself, I should try an extracurricular that’s entirely out of my comfort zone. As I understood, my peers are involved in sports, so in order to fit in and be a well-rounded and highly-performing student, I must also participate in sports. Thus, on a whim, I decided to join the boy’s Cross Country team. Why not, right? I run recreationally, so joining the cross country team was a reasonable step up.