There are many competitive sports at CHS that students are able to join, but the only sports offered are the more well-known sports such as football, soccer, basketball, etc. Although there is a wide range of sports, there are also a lot of students who have interests in other sports that are not offered in high school. Because of this, some students spend time outside of school playing the sport they are actually passionate about. This is a good way for athletes to stay active and keep their competitiveness up while also engaging in an unpopular sport. Even though it may seem like CHS has covered mostly all of the popular sports, there are many other options that intrigue many students.

Many activities are offered to students who enjoy the different aspects of exercising, but for sophomore Nicole Gavin, they are more widespread rather than the specific type of sport she enjoys. Gavin has been involved in ballet for a very long time and believes that this sport is very unique because of how precise it is, rather than dance which includes a variety of different styles.

“In ballet, there is a certain way to approaching steps, in other types of dance, they interpret the moves. So when you begin with ballet, your dancing career will be very well rounded,” Gavin said.

Once ballerinas gain a bigger set of skills, they compete in larger competitions such as Youth American Grand Prix, which is a world-wide competition. Gavin enjoys the fact that although it is a very competitive event, there is a great atmosphere during the competition.

Another sport that shares similarities to dance is hula dancing. Hula dancing is a form of dance that requires fluid-like movements and a lot of emotion. Senior Victoria Garcia is involved in hula dancing on a team called “Halau Hula Nā Meakanu O Laka O Hawaii.” Garcia consistently participates in competitions with her team. She loves the performance part of competitions, but also explains how her team has to prepare for a while before going out and competing. Not only does this type of dancing differ from CHS sports, but it differs from most sports in general.

“I believe that when students compete with the sports that they love, they just do the actions. When we learn a dance we have to learn the history, the meaning, and the story behind that one song and dance. We are not able to dance if we do not promote the emotion and feelings in that one dance,” Garcia said.

A sport that has more in common to those offered at CHS is boxing. Although boxing is also not offered, there are some sports at CHS that incorporate the same components, like wrestling and football. A student who is currently involved in wrestling is sophomore Xiucoatl Mejia. Although Mejia is passionate about boxing, he agrees with the school’s choice to keep it unavailable to the students. He believes it is very dangerous especially for high school teens because of the high injury risks. Mejia boxes in matches against other boxers like himself. Boxing is very different than many sports, especially because boxing is an individual sport.

“It [boxing] should only be left to the people who are willing to fully dedicate themselves to the sport,” Mejia said. “It really comes down to who wants it more and when the hunger is great enough, anything is possible in the ring.”

Unlike many others at CHS, sophomore Carl Nicholson is involved in fencing. Although fencing conditioning includes the normal arm and foot work required for any sport, it is different as fencers mainly focus on quickly moving their feet and using their foils to practice their attacks. This is not a usual sport, but there are still some people who enjoy the diversity of it.

“Of course I would love for this to be a sport at our school. One problem I see is that there are only two fencers that attend our school, including me, and it is an odd sport to learn and like,” Nicholson said.

Common or not, there are many competitive sports that are not currently offered to students at CHS. It is sometimes better that a certain competitive sport is not offered at CHS, but some students also would not mind having a wider range in options. There are many more uncommon sports that could be offered to CHS students, but it is hard to tell whether they would be useful considering that a lot of people tend to lean toward the more well-known sports.