Ready…Set…Go! I ran as fast as I could. Sweat was dripping down my face as I ran towards the football on the other team’s side. When I got the football, I quickly ran back to my side and won a point for my team. Every game in P.E. was a fun experience even if I lost.

While many people may think I am delusional for enjoying P.E., I think it was one of the best classes I have ever taken. This class has many benefits and I feel like many of my classmates do not appreciate this class as much as they should. P.E. promotes a healthy lifestyle, relieves stress and provides valuable lessons.

For someone who does not regularly exercise, this class allowed me to maintain a set time and place to commit to exercising. The fact that this class is required urges students to participate considering it affects their graduation status. Whether I liked it or not, I would run two laps every class period and I would do many exercises for my legs, arms, and other. What we learn in this class is the stepping stone to a healthy adulthood.

This is one of the few times where boys and girls play together regardless of their gender. In professional sports, for the most part, we see separated men’s teams and women’s teams. We rarely see teams with both men and women playing together. But, in P.E., all people have the opportunity of playing with each other which creates a more welcoming environment.

Also, this is the only class that offers self-defense tactics, and it is completely free. To this day, I remember what to do if I am ever in a life-threatening situation.

Although some students claim that running the pacer or the mile causes stress, this is way better than sitting in a classroom for almost an hour, listening to a teacher lecture. Instead of solely taking 6 or 7 academic/elective courses, students must take this physically engaging class that is starkly different from the other classes offered.

Without this class, I wouldn’t know how to play badminton, tennis or football. It serves as a great learning experience for the the basics of some sports. I didn’t even know that badminton existed until 8th grade P.E, and now I am in the Varsity badminton team. I only started to pursue this sport until after I was introduced to it in my P.E. class.

This course allows students to pick up new skills that they wouldn’t normally learn in academic courses and that is why it is a beneficial and fun opportunity. We are very privileged to have a good athletic department that has a curriculum that focuses on team building, leadership and sportmanship, so students should value this opportunity.