Can Sports Teach Life Lessons? Student Essay Has Answers

Can sports teach precepts that carry over into other facets of life?
A seventh grader at Louis Pasteur Middle School 67 in Little Neck has some ideas. Five actually: Concentration. Teamwork. Eye-hand coordination. Learning from mistakes. Good sportsmanship.
These are the qualities Michael Wolfin, 12, says he learned from sports and carries over into other parts of his life.
Wolfin wrote an essay on the subject that was among the 10 best among 5,000 entries in the New York State Lottery Winter Achievers Essay Contest. The contest asked sixth to eighth graders for short essays describing how sports involvement played a positive role in their lives.
The Little Neck resident won a laptop computer and printer and a trip to the Empire State Winter Games in Lake Placid on Feb. 22-24. There he and the nine other finalists will receive special recognition during the opening ceremonies, along with a plaque and commemorative medal. The school wins a computer package and a Winter Sports clinic.
Here are excerpts from Wolfins winning essay:
"Concentration is a key element in sports…Just like sports, concentration is important in school. In fact…in just about anything you can think of, you cant do well at anything without concentration. Concentrating is big in my life."
"Another important element is teamwork…When selling candy for a school fundraiser, I am part of a team working toward the goal of raising a lot of money. Working alone, it would take forever to reach that goal."
"Good eye-hand coordination is another benefit of participating in sports…This coordination helps me at school. When I am copying notes from the board, I look at the board and write down what is there. The task is much easier with good eye-hand coordination."
"My favorite sports lesson is that everyone makes mistakes…This lesson helps me in school, too. If I flunk a test, but I know I tried my best, I am not too unhappy, because even Albert Einstein flunked math and science in elementary school, and look how smart he was."
"Last by not least, good sportsmanship is an invaluable sports lesson. Dont rub it in if you win, or act like a sore loser if you dont. Unless you learn this lesson, you will most likely be playing alone."
Wolfin concludes, "Sports are related to most things I do."