As part of the Year 8 Willow Tree Sports Ambassadors Programme, our Year 8s were challenged to write their own blog inspired by sport. Klara, who joined NHEHS in Year 7, wrote on how sport was instrumental in helping her settle in and make new friends and why it’s important to try out as many sports as you can. She also came up with some great tips on finding the right sport for you.

By Klara S, Year 8

Moving from primary school to secondary school was a massive change and was certainly a bit scary at first! But one of the things that helped me settle in and have some fun was participating in sports clubs! I was so intrigued by the large selections of clubs to choose from, but managed to narrow it down slightly to seven clubs; dance, netball, hockey, trampolining, yoga, taekwondo and cricket. Yes, I know that this is still a lot of clubs, but I wanted to try as many as possible! Pretty soon I discovered that I didn’t have time for all of these clubs, but it was quite easy to decide which clubs I wanted to drop. I enjoyed playing cricket, but soon realised that playing it more properly was not really for me. I loved trampolining, but I had a conflicting club that day and decided to drop it. I found taekwondo really interesting, but I preferred some of my other clubs so decided to discontinue it. That left me with netball, hockey, dance and yoga. I loved all of my clubs and, even though I didn’t want to get out of bed for early morning netball, I still went almost every week and had a lot of fun once I got in the swing of it.

I think it’s really important to try and participate in sports clubs as it offers not only some extra physical exercise, but also a space to make new friends and develop new friendships. This was a key part of settling in in Year 7, where I didn’t know anyone, and I found that doing sports allowed me to bond with new people. Partaking in physical exercise also releases endorphins. Endorphins trigger a positive feeling in the body, hence why physical exercise is good for your mental health.

There are many reasons as to why sports is good for you, however, it’s imperative that you choose a certain sport because you enjoy it, not just because you want to socialize. Finding “your sport” can be difficult but here’s a few tips as to how you can find your favourite sport:

Tip Number 1: Try new things. When I joined NHEHS I had never tried half of the clubs that I chose to do, and I ended up enjoying all of them. From this I learned that trying new things, although it may seem scary, can actually be really fun and help you find your special talents! Remember, clubs are not about being perfect at something already, it’s about practising and participating until you get it right.

Tip Number 2: Ask around. If you are unsure about where you can sign up to a club, or even if you just need a recommendation as to what clubs you should do, don’t be afraid to ask. You can email a teacher, ask in person or even ask your friends. A couple of my friends participated in gymnastics club, and was always interested in gymnastics, so I asked them a bit about it and they highly recommended it, so I joined it and it’s one of my favourite clubs. See what your classmates enjoy and who knows, maybe that could end up being your favorite sport.

Tip Number 3: Make an effort to participate. There’s not much point in going to a sports club just for the sake of it, so it’s crucial that you enjoy the sport and try your very best. You may be tired from a day’s work but physical exercise is sure to cheer you up if you’re willing to put in the work.

I hope these tips help you find your favourite sport, and that you can cheer yourself by doing a little sport, even if it’s just going for a walk.