For many foreign exchange students, going to a new school in a new country can be stressful or overwhelming. Partaking in school sports can help make it easier by having them spend time with other students outside the classroom. These athletic experiences can build strong bonds with their new American peers.

  The U.S. is famous for school sports. Friday night lights and student sections during games are synonymous with high school spirit. Foreign exchange students might not know what to expect about sports culture in the U.S before arriving here.

  “I’ve heard about U.S. sports, and my expectation was that everyone was super good and stuff, which is true. People here are really good at sports,” senior Vittorio De La Valle said.

  Sports opportunities for students are very different from ours in other countries. While school sports are very popular in the U.S., most sports take place with an organization separate from the school.

  “It’s so different. In Italy, where I’m from, schools don’t provide any official sports program. You have to do it privately. And the only thing you can do is PE and it’s just one hour per week. So it’s nothing compared to what you guys do here,” senior Nick Cattaneo said.

  When foreign exchange students do school sports in the U.S., it can make them feel more involved and connected with classmates, rather than just being on a club team.

  Many foreign exchange students play sports that they have already played or know about ,so it’s easier for them to adjust to the American version.

   “I used to play tennis in Italy at a competitive level and it’s not different. It’s not something at the school so I didn’t play every day and in Italy it was just a couple hours per week, “ Cattaneo said.

  Club sports in the U.S. and other countries are alike; you have to pay for them, and you have to be good enough to play them competitively.

  “Here you do tryouts for a lot of sports and in Spain you only need to pay and then you’ll play,” Barahona said.

  “So here, even if it’s student  level, so very amateur, everyone is taking [it] pretty seriously. You got medical tests and stuff like that and you got tournaments.  Well,  in Italy, if you’re not [serious], if you don’t reach a certain level, you don’t even compete,” De La Valle said.

  School sports can help build a culture of curiosity and acceptance across the campus and the court. School sports can make these international students share pieces of their culture throughout our school and we can learn as much from them as they can from us. 

  “For wrestling, I was a bit scared because I didn’t know the level of wrestlers here. And so I remember the first day of practice of the season. I came in a little bit scared, but then everyone was so kind, warm, and welcoming,” De La Valle said.