I'd say I'm quite fortunate to have a childhood where I was encouraged to explore a wide variety of sports to my liking. The sports I've participated in at a competitive level are:
Basketball
Swimming
Badminton
Football/Soccer
I've competed in many other sports, but not quite to the level of those listed above. I've won several trophies and medals over the years, a pretty decent collection at home. Bragging aside though, becoming an athlete from a young age has influenced me in ways I could have never imagined. It has shaped my personality and mindset into what it is now, so let's take a look into that.
When you think of sports, you think of competition. Every sport has a win/lose situation. Whether you are playing basketball or moving pieces on a chess board (is chess a sport?), there will always be a side who wins and another who loses. Losing sucks, and I've lost countless times throughout the years. But these losses only pushed me to train harder to achieve what I wished to accomplish. This is exactly why I believe participation medals are ridiculous. They get rid of the tough feeling that accompanies a loss as you are rewarded no matter what. Why would you put in that extra effort to win when you'll return home with a medal regardless?
Those who know me well understand how competitive I can be. I've got a silly example for you. Just a few days ago, I lost a few games of Street Fighter 5 to my cousins. I was so bothered by this I practiced the combos over and over again in my own time until I defeated them all the next day. I hate losing, especially when my opponent is laughing in my face after my character gets KO'd.
Not only do I hate losing, but I also hate the feeling of being behind others, and I'm confident other athletes can relate to me on this. I doubt I'm the only person who uses this as fuel to push myself further, whether that would be in the gym moving dumbbells around or in the library studying for an upcoming exam. To be fair, I'm sure being raised in an Asian household played a role in that too, but this blog entry is about sports so we move.
Sports is one of the best ways to build discipline. Who enjoys getting up early to go to practice? Lifting weights hurts, and you feel sore the next day. You invest a significant amount of time to consistent work without seeing progress in the short term, but it's the fact you keep going and pushing that builds discipline. I know I'm not the most disciplined person in the world, but I'm trying to change that through consistent exercise.
Another aspect of sports I love and that has changed my life is the communities they form. I'll never forget all the discussions at the lunch table about who is the GOAT of basketball and every time we watched the NBA finals on our laptops in class. Through our love for basketball, we created a group chat (that is still active to this day) purely to send basketball-related updates and memes. Multiple strong relationships were formed through sports, and I'm sure there are more to be formed in the future.
I understand there are alternative ways to achieve the very same mindset and communities, but I believe participating in a sport (especially from a young age) is one of the best ways to do so. Participating in multiple sports over the years has led to so many upsides and barely any downsides. As much as the tough moments such as losing or pushing myself to the limit in training sometimes sucked, I wouldn't change a thing.
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