Why Sports?

Why are sports so important? The short answer might seem obvious: sports are entertaining and provide a distraction from ‘real life.’ Athletes continue to demonstrate the fundamental nature of competition by giving people the strongest, the quickest, the smartest and the most inspired performances on the face of the earth. Their world is populated with people who strive for excellence. Being in the presence of such people - directly as fellow athletes, or indirectly as observers - makes us lift our sights a little higher. As a result, this encourages us to raise our standards in our everyday lives. Sports require a physical discipline, but even the casual fan will tell you that a successful athlete’s mind and body must work together. However, when one gets to the top of their game, the mental aspect is huge - not only in the sense of getting “psyched up”, but also in devising strategy, studying video, researching and developing training technique. Sports have now become a science. For the participant and spectator alike, there’s plenty of mental stimulus in today’s sporting world - and we can swim as deep as we like in those waters. Athletics help to build communities through social inclusion and a sense of connection. Sports at Summit Denali help create and bind families through shared experiences and achievements. Through participation, athletics help support a student's life in education. Being able to bring people together through the athletics at Summit Denali and even elsewhere creates stronger social networks and more cohesive communities for both athletes and supporters. They provide opportunities for social engagement; often creating awareness and acceptance of differences between individuals and communities.