Student finds enjoyment in numerous sports

Bridget Doyle '21, Copy Editor

Practices. Games. Tournaments–A constant cycle for Jen Crowley ’21. Crowley plays four sports; a mix of travel and high school athletics. She participates in JV basketball, varsity and travel soccer, and varsity golf during the school year as well as swimming for the Country Club of Detroit in the summer.

According to Crowley, sports come with a lot of hard work, but the positive outcomes are worth the sacrifices.

“I find sports rewarding,” Crowley said. “When you win a game after a lot of practice, it makes you feel really good.”

Although Crowley wouldn’t trade sports for the world, she said a main challenge with her sports is balancing athletics and school.

“At times, it is difficult playing this amount of sports because some nights, I would have to do around five hours of sports and still have to do all of my studying,” Crowley said.

Another challenge that comes with sports, Crowley said, is staying positive during games.

“The hardest part about playing four sports is keeping your head up when you make a mistake or have a bad game,” Crowley said.

Even with negative emotions during games, Crowley could never imagine herself discouraged enough to stop playing, as disappointment often comes with being an athlete. She said the best part about playing is her teammates because they provide encouragement and relief from stress.

“My favorite part amount from playing all of these sports is it allows myself to make a lot of new friends,” Crowley said. “They give me a break from school and allow me to have fun.”
Crowley has been playing soccer for over ten years, which has developed her love for the game. According to Crowley, soccer is her favorite sport as has made many memories while playing– her favorite from South’s varsity team.

“My favorite sports memory is when our South soccer team played Grosse Pointe North for the first time,” Crowley said. “It was the most contact game I had ever played in, but fortunately in the end, we won.”

According to Crowley, she wants to take her passion for soccer beyond high school.

“My goal is to play soccer in college,” Crowley said. “I’ve always wanted to go to school and play a college sport.”

Crowley said her biggest inspiration are the athletes who are still motivated to play sports after playing for a while because she relates with them.

“My inspiration when it comes to sports is all of the players who have stuck by the sports for a long time and still enjoy it,” Crowley said. “I have never thought about quitting.”