Sports in America are set up differently—just like life in general here.
Back home, your parents would sign you up for a sports club, and you’d stay there year after year. But here, you train right at the school you attend. After classes, you just change clothes and head to practice with your team.
Schools have a huge number of coaches for different sports (I even have three different running coaches!). But here’s the twist: sports are divided by seasons, so you can’t stick with the same one all year. The school year is split into three parts: fall, winter, and spring.
🏃♂️ In the fall, you can join cross country (5 km races), American football 🏈, volleyball, softball, or cheerleading. Keep in mind—football is for boys, softball is for girls… so the choice isn’t too big.
🏀 In the winter, there’s basketball, swimming, and wrestling 🤼♂️.
⚽️ In the spring, it’s hard to decide where to go—there’s track & field 💔, soccer, tennis, golf, and baseball. And every sport has both girls’ and boys’ teams.
The best part? Absolutely everyone can join—no matter your weight, strength, or skill level. And no, cheerleaders here are not all skinny models.
What I really appreciate is how coaches care about your personal and family life. My coach is totally fine if I run on my own while spending time with family at the beach, or if I skip practice because I’m not feeling well.
Competitions are held between nearby small towns. Usually, there’s just one high school per town—so each town has its own team.
Sports here are a big deal—not just for fun, but for your school and even your future. Thanks to sports, you can not only become popular at school but also earn a spot in a top university.
For me, it’s an amazing experience to be part of this system and try something completely new!
Try it yourself—imagine being part of a school team in the U.S. and discovering a whole new side of yourself!