Editor's Note: This story was reported by Plamedie Ekumbaki, and the accompanying artwork was created by Oliviera Ekumbaki as part of the Spring 2025 Kalamazoo Voices of Youth Program. The program is a collaboration between Southwest Michigan Second Wave and KYD Network in partnership with the YMCA of Greater Kalamazoo, funded by the Stryker Johnston Foundation. The Voices of Youth Program is led by Earlene McMichael. VOY mentors were Jane Parikh (writing) and Taylor Scamehorn (art). 

KALAMAZOO, MI — Thinking of playing high school sports? Or already do? Here’s what current and former athletes want you to know.

“Engaging in sports provides students with a unique opportunity to build confidence and develop a strong sense of identity,” says junior Lakeisha Turner, a softball player at Loy Norrix High School in Kalamazoo. 

Ciarra Freeman, a senior at Loy Norrix who is on the track and field team, agrees. 

“Playing sports can build your self-esteem,” she says.

It did for her. “Sports, in the beginning, saved me from a lot of depression. When you're in a good environment around teammates and coaches, it makes it better day by day. It helps motivate you and tells you to keep going and keep trying, and that pushes you and if you don’t, it feels like guilt.”
Loy Norrix Principal Christopher Aguinaga sees the benefits in sports. 

“I think sports for many kids is a motivator,” he says. “In order to be able to play, a student-athlete has that student name in front of it, so the pressure to be academically eligible, I think, is a motivator that pushes students to excel.”

But, like anything else, sports have pros and cons for students. 

“It can affect them positively and negatively, but most of the time it affects them positively,” says Loy Norrix counselor Becky Parsons. “It makes students feel more connected to school. They can build friendships and relationships with coaches and students, and have to stay eligible, so there's often more motivation to pass classes. But, sometimes, it can be too much, especially for multi-sport athletes, and can cause issues with time management.” 

Artist: Oliviera EkumbakiAguinaga concurs that sports can pose time management issues for some athletes. “It can be a stressor when it comes to time management.”

Parsons recommends students get a planner and take advantage of help provided by the school, whether tutoring or anything to help them succeed, to avoid this pitfall.

From the athlete’s point of view, time management isn't the only challenge.

Freeman, the runner, points to the danger of comparison. “Once you see your progression starting to go down, you may feel bad about yourself,” she says. “And, sometimes, when you see someone better than you, it might make you feel bad.” 

On the other hand, athletics can leave students with lifelong skills and lessons.

That’s according to Parsons, who herself played tennis and volleyball in high school. She says sports helped develop in her two characteristics that have lasted into adulthood: “Realizing that the team success is more important than individual success, and time management.”

For Aguinaga, sports offered life lessons, too. He played them as a youth.

“Sports taught me the routine of practicing,” he says. “If you missed a couple of days of practice, you could feel it. It also taught me it was okay to not excel in everything.”

Plamedie Ekumbaki plays sports at Loy Norrix High School in Kalamazoo, Michigan, where she will be a senior in the fall. She has been in Voices of Youth Kalamazoo before, so she was excited to return for the Spring 2025 cohort. “I feel like it’s such a cool and safe environment to bring up issues in the community as well as solutions,” she says. “Everyone is so nice and helpful.”

Oliveira Ekimbaki’s Artist Statement: "My topic is about the impact of playing sports on teen mental health. Sports can take great dedication and build self-esteem. I chose colors that are different from each other because teen athletes are given different advice. I drew a basketball because of how certain teen athletes try to compete with other teen athletes. I had to think about my sister Plamedie. She is a track star who is about to go to college, and sometimes she has rough days because she didn't do a certain thing correctly. A thing viewers should know about my piece is that it took me seven days to finish. It took opinion, dedication, talent, and a great mentor to finish this piece"