Dear Nashie,
I’m in a HUGE dilemma. For the winter, I want to do the musical, but I also want to do a sport. Can you list the pros and cons for each? Both are so amazing, so it’s terribly difficult to choose.
Signed,
Anonymous Freshman
Dear Anonymous Freshman,
To give you the short answer, know thyself. I think that you should examine the reasons why you want to participate in the musical or in a sport. You’re right: both are amazing options, so you really can’t go wrong.
Are you a shy person who would benefit from stepping into the spotlight and practicing your public speaking skills? Participating in the musical is probably your best bet. If you’re interested in improving your flexibility, speed or strength, then the soccer field or basketball court is calling your name.
One of my favorite parts about playing a winter sport that it allows you to stay toned and trim from January to early February, a time when the merriness of the holidays can cause you to down a few too many sugary treats and pack on extra pounds.
Along with an abundance of yummy treats, the holidays come with much-needed time off. Both Thanksgiving Break and Winter Break break up the monotony of the winter sports season and will give your body much-needed rest. Then again, vacations during Thanksgiving and Christmas help break up musical season as well.
A huge benefit of playing a sport in the winter is that you will have a free period during the day and don’t have to attend a PE class. If this is the primary reason why you want to play a certain sport, however, you should definitely reconsider your decision.
Sports require a much larger time commitment compared to a regular PE class, which usually only requires you to work out two or three times a week. But I won’t lie, having a free period to do homework is a much-needed incentive to playing a sport in the winter.
If you choose the musical – which takes up at least as much time as a sport does – you won’t have a free period in the day and will need to manage your time wisely in the evenings to study and complete homework.
A possible downside to playing a winter sport is having to participate in weekend competitions or tournaments. If you have a lot of commitments outside of school or really enjoy getting things done on Saturday mornings and afternoons, attending these games can often be a source of stress and a hassle because it forces you to change your plans ahead of time.
Likewise, the musical will often require you to attend dress rehearsals on Saturdays and endure the infamous “hell week,” the week before the musical’s debut.
Personally, I’m more productive, happy, and energetic when I swim in the winter (it’s probably because of all those endorphins, right?), but I have friends who couldn’t imagine not participating in the musical, which is a great chance to forge friendships with your cast members and crew.
If, after reading all of this, you still can’t decide between the musical and a winter sport, why don’t you attend preseason and tryouts for a particular sport, practice singing a few songs from “Curtains,” and then decide?
Either way, don’t stress. Choosing to do either a sport or the musical is a choice that you won’t regret.
