Ingraham's Sports Scene: Why You Should Get Involved

At Ingraham, students are able to try out for and join sports from the wide range of sports that are offered here. From volleyball, basketball, and football, and any other larger scale sport, to water polo, bowling, and golf, to name a few, Ingraham has many ways for students to be actively participating in Ingraham’s community. While some schools have generally dominant teams, Ingraham can be known for its strong spirit - whether it be mid-game, on the bench, or in the bleachers. But, this isn’t to say Ingraham has a lack of superiority in the area of sports. Our football team has notably won many games, as well as volleyball and wrestling teams which have also both been a source of pride for Ingraham. While we have had our successes, it is hard to truly know how good our sports are according to students without asking them. So, that’s what I did. After sending out a small survey and receiving a decent number of responses, it is easier to gauge the general consensus on Ingraham’s sports teams - straight from the athletes and spectators themselves.

Of those who responded to the survey, track, ultimate frisbee, swim, water polo, cross-country (XC), cheer, tennis, football, softball, soccer, and basketball were mentioned to have been played with only 14% of the respondents not participating in any sport. The main reasons for not participating were that they didn’t like the coaches and quit their sport, participated in club sports or other activities that took up their time, or as one student phrased it: there are “0 benefits” and “no salary” being gained by playing on an Ingraham team. While these reasons are valid, the true benefits of joining outweigh the reasons not to. For those who do play a sport, most answered that they generally enjoy their sport and feel that it is a fun space to play, make friends they may not have otherwise, and be a part of a bigger community. My experience as a student-athlete at Ingraham has been very beneficial to me and I’ve made most of the friends I have now from the teams I joined (especially basketball - join girls basketball this year!) Also the communities within these sports are usually great (especially xc - join xc next year) and will welcome new players gladly onto their teams. By participating in many Ingraham sports across the seasons, you can also 1) get a PE waiver, 2) expand your social circle even more, and 3) have more activities to put onto your college application when that time eventually comes for you. There is no downside.

Now that the reasoning to join a sport has concluded, it is time to determine whether Ingraham’s sports are even any good. None of our teams - to my knowledge - are the worst in the league for their sport. But, are any the best either? Is Ingraham just kind of there, not really winning a ton but also not losing at everything? According to the students at Ingraham, the latter is pretty much the case. Some gave out special recognition for volleyball and wrestling, as mentioned before, but then said that the rest of the teams are kind of just okay. Some offer reasoning for why this might be the case, such as a lack of funding, not long-enough seasons for athletes to get into a good rhythm, some sub-optimal coaching for a couple sports, and the mentality that Ingraham is and always will be “not very good” in the sports area. But, one optimistic respondent wrote that they believe while Ingraham’s sports aren’t horrible, they still are “not as good as they could be.” With better funding in our athletic department and hence better equipment, coaching in some cases, and facilities, our sports teams could thrive. Also, these teams are always cycling through different athletes as new freshmen join and old seniors graduate. This is another reason to get involved with Ingraham’s sports scene early on - you could maybe be one of the ones to help make your team a winning team, elevating Ingraham’s superiority over other high schools in the area - like Ballard and Lincoln especially.

Since it has been established that those who have the time should join a sport (even if you’ve never played before), why wait any longer? Students can sign up at any time for any sport of their choosing for the Fall, Winter, and Spring seasons on FinalForms and have a great time. Some sports require a try-out if there is limited space available, but for larger teams like tennis, xc, and track (to name a few), cuts are very infrequent, if there even are any made and are still great choices with wonderful communities surrounding them. Plus, everyone should try to help Ingraham rise to the top and dominate the sports scene of the metro league. Because Ingraham is superior and always can, should, and will be.