No one will ever truly know the full reason on why people do the things they do. To some, it makes sense to there self and there self only. There’s always a reason behind why we do what we do, and there’s always going to be a meaning behind our actions.
Emma Nagle (9) is a competitive cheerleader who’s been a part of Cheer St. Louis for over five years. Nagle started finding interest in cheerleading in 2021 at the age of 10. Nagle expressed how her favorite part of cheerleading is getting to travel with her friends, and getting to compete.
“I love performing, going to competitions, getting to travel with my friends, and I love the people I get to meet,” Nagle said.
With everything we do, we all have a favorite part, but with a favorite part comes a least favorite thing, for Nagle that’s doing conditioning. To many, cheer is just an after school activity people do for fun, but to Nagle, it’s an escape.
“To me, cheer means family, function, foundation, and home. It’s a place I go to when I need an escape from the rest of my life.”
Like many others, Nagle has experienced many challenges when it comes to injuries. Nagle was diagnosed with a pars defect. At first, it was only a small fracture in her lower vertebrae, as time went on it progressed and Nagle now has a full permanent fracture, as well as one of her other vertebrae being pushed back anytime she bends her back. This started causing her to struggle with tumbling, later making it to where she isn’t able to tumble at all.
Greyson Howarth (12) is a dedicated hockey player who plays for Liberty’s hockey team and plays club for Chesterfield Falcons. Howarth has been playing hockey for over 6 years and counting.
“My favorite thing about hockey is getting to be with my friends,” Howarth said. Howarth continued by explaining how his least favorite thing about hockey is how time consuming it can be. Every sport has its challenges that come with it, for Howarth its injuries. He later expressed how he plays hockey because he finds it fun.
Valentina Pellegrino (9) has been a passionate volleyball player for six years, and plays for NLVA. Pellegrino states how her favorite things about volleyball are getting to meet new people and the adrenaline rush of games. She continued to explain how mentality can be challenging at times.
“I think trying to find the right headspace and trying to find the confidence to play is really hard,” Pellegrino stated. For Pellegrino some unlikable things about volleyball to her are some of the rules, specifically doubles and under the net calls.
Everything has a different meaning to different people, people can do the same thing but for two completely different reasons. Pellegrino expressed how volleyball means everything to her. “Volleyball is my identity, that’s what I put my whole life into.” Pellegrino said.
Maddoxx Jones (12) is a committed wrestler for Liberty’s wrestling team and has been actively doing it for 12 years. He explained how the teamwork and coaches on the team are his favorite parts about
wrestling. But the downside to this sport is cutting weight, in which he continued to explain
how it can be challenging at times. Jones expressed how wrestling is something he will take into consideration when thinking about his future.
There will always be a piece of advice you will receive that will stick with you, for Jones the best piece of advice he has received was “Listen to your coaches.”
So, now that you know more about what a sport means to people. Ask yourself, what does your sport mean to you?
