Upper Merion Area High School: The sound of loud squeaky sneakers swiftly moving against the hardwood floors fills the hot and stuffy gym, while just down the hall, soft music, bright flashing lights, and flamboyant and colorful costumes erupt from the auditorium. To a high school student, these environments are entirely separate worlds, but both extracurriculars, sports and theater, share similar challenges. Both activities involve preparation, collaborative teamwork, the pressure of performing, unwavering dedication, and strict time management. While sports may be more physically demanding, theater still requires physical activity and coordination through dances and stunts incorporated in the play. On the flipside, while theater is more emotional through openly expressed vulnerability and passion, sports still include these same raw feelings through a competitive nature, enthusiasm, dedication, and passion throughout.
For me, a member of the track team’s 4 by 400 meter relay, teamwork was mandatory when learning how to hand off the baton. Our 4 by 4 team constantly needed to meet up and practice the pace, distance, and timing to create a swift and efficient passing of the baton during the race. The teamwork of the high pressure and synchronized baton handoff, relates to the adrenaline and synergy seen during coordinated dance number in the musical. To get a true comparison of sports requirements to drama essentials, I interviewed Daisy Huller, a student athlete and drama club member. According to her, sports teams and drama have a similar dynamic, especially in regards to teamwork, time management, commitment, and nerves before an event. Daisy highlights, “The teamwork is very similar…” Whether it’s executing a play Coach drafted out during practice, or following a choreographed dance scene from rehearsal, teamwork is an important dynamic for both activities displaying, “…we win as a team, we lose as a team” holds true in both the locker room and backstage.
Daisy also mentions, “Anxiety is definitely there in both…” From pregame anxiety, to opening night jitters, the adrenaline, nerves, and excitement remain present. Daisy Huller also states, “The time commitment for sports and drama is very similar” indicating the need for preparation and practice when it comes to memorizing lines and stage directions, or running effective offensive plays.
When asked which activity was more difficult, Daisy replied by saying, “When it comes to physicality, you have to prepare a lot more to succeed an athlete, whereas drama is mostly mind tricks and different mental things to work on.” The differences between these two activities is where the true comparison lies. While athletes endure more physically demanding tasks, theater kids must learn to manage stage fright, memorising lines, and the challenge of staying in character throughout the performance.
