Old sports revamped to the extreme are granted new life. Students engaged in individual sports are given a chance to expand their horizons and step out of their comfort zones.

One current sports trend is urban dance, which is a blend of hip-hop and break dancing.

“I have been in urban dance for quite a while now at Jazzy D’s Studios,” Jessica Earls, ’06, said. “It has helped teach me to step out of my comfort zone.”

Earls’ family makes sacrifices in order to help her participate in this activity.

“It costs us quite a bit of money and time, but it makes me a more rounded individual,” Earls said. “It helps me stay in shape; urban dance gives me energy for daily chores. I also use dance to step out in my drama class.”

The many different types of people who gather for after school activities allow students to explore different kinds of cultures and lifestyles.

“I love meeting people from other cultures,” Earls said. “You learn a lot more than you would in plain in regular school. It actually helps me when I come across a section in history that I already know about because of one of my dance friends.”

Culture is not the only learned through dance and friendships are also formed.

“Soon after I started dance a new girl came into our class,” Earls said. “She is a lot older then I am, and naturally I look up to her. We bumped heads during dance and ever since then we’ve been best friends. Now she teaches me about of dance moves and her culture.”

Relationships built by engaging in non-curicular sports and activities can improve family life.

“I have been participating in golf for three years now,” Joey Logan, ’07, said. “My grandpa asked me to spend a weekend out on the course with him, and I just got hooked. Now, I look forward to the weekends so I can hang out with him.”

Taking time to practice helps participants advance their skills.

“I progressed significantly after a few weeks of interest in golf,” Logan said. “Now I have advanced to a +15 handicap, which means I automatically score 15 points over my opponents. ”

Many parents support student participation in extra-curricular activities.

“It helps her break the monotony of studying,” Carol Earls, Jessica’s mother said. “It keeps life interesting. I could tell that it dance was a good thing when she started looking a lot happier.”

After-school activities allow a student to grow in various areas of life by opening up horizons and creating many new relationships. The Internet offers information on clubs and extracurricular activities.