Rec athletes play to stay fit, have fun
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BY MAX KING ports programs at Granville are some of the best in Licking County. Many teams win league titles and district championships yearly. The girls soccer team competes in the state tournament almost every year. The track and field team has many athletes qualify for state meets each season. Because of the high level of time and energy that athletes must commit to be on one of the school’s sports teams, many students decide to compete in recreational leagues instead. Recreational sports are sports that athletes participate in for the primary purpose of staying fit and having fun. They also allow friends to be able to participate on the same sports team when on a high school or club team this may be infeasible. Recreational sports can have numerous benefits that most people don’t realize. WHY ATHLETES PLAY REC SPORTS There are many locations in and around Licking County that offer leagues and drop-in games for many age groups and skill levels. Some of the most popular sports are basketball, indoor soccer and flag football. College freshman Andy Hoben started playing rec basketball as a way to keep in shape after playing for the high school team through his sophomore year. He said he practiced on his own and as a team pretty frequently throughout the season. “We had a handful of dedicated practices and scrimmages early on and played pickup basketball many times a week to keep in shape,” he said. Senior Alex Carnes has been playing rec soccer with Wabam FC. He said his team practices about 1-3 times a week. Some teams have tight schedules that need to be accommodated, while other teams look for more casual or less skilled teams to play against. With recreational league sports athletes can find a league that suits those needs. “One of the great benefits of playing in a recreational league that some may not think about is having the ability to curate a team and choose a league that best suits your individual needs,” Carns said.
Andy Hoben's rec basketball team poses after a big win. Photo courtesy of Andy Hoben.
BENEFITS OF REC SPORTS For many rec athletes, the biggest draw is the camaraderie they develop with teammates. “My favorite part of playing rec basketball was the team aspect of it,” Hoben said. We had a great group of guys that were all-in on just having fun and it was really cool to play basketball in front of fans again.” Many rec teams are made up of friends who may not have ever participated in team sports. “My favorite part is just being part of something competitive and being surrounded by my best friends at the same time,” Carns said. In the end, rec sports is about having fun, according to Hoben. “I would say one thing to know is that the reffing might not be perfect, the other team might play dirty, but all you can control is just going into each game trying to have fun, because that’s all it is,” he said. “Just a way to have fun with your friends.”
regular season game of the year and dozens of parents and friends came to watch,” Hoben said. “Towards the end of the game, I threw an off-the-backboard alley-oop to Caden Baker on a fast break and he came down and jammed it. Everyone went nuts.” Alex Carnes describes a memory from playing rec indoor soccer that he will never forget. “My best memory is when we won our first game, no other way to describe it other than poetry in motion. I think everyone should and will know that Wabam FC is going to be unstoppable,” he said Recreational Sports can give high school students a way to stay active both physically and mentally with their friends. Studies have shown that playing sports regularly can help to lower anxiety and depression, especially in people aged 16-25. Playing sports with friends can help strengthen the bonds and provide opportuniteis to create friendships with new people.
LONG-LASTING MEMORIES Playing a rec sport can create many long-lasting memories, Hoben says that his favorite memory is easy to choose. “We had a senior night on our last SPORTS BLUEPRINTS
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