Whether you like it or not, you will have to take Active Lifestyles 1 or 2 if you are a student at NHS. Whether you are looking forward to an easy A or yearning for time to spend with your friends, every single student has the pleasure of spending time in the pool that reeks of chlorine and the locker rooms that smell of something a little more sinister. At some point in time, you will find yourself in those stinky gym shoes. 

As a fellow student who has had the great privilege and honor of completing this course, I would like to offer a word of advice for any freshmen or sophomores who find themselves staring down a humbling future of volleyball matches, basketball games, and flailing around in the pool pretending to know how to do a surface dive, whatever that is.

First of all, count your blessings if you have the swimming unit at the beginning of first semester or the end of second semester. As someone who had the swimming unit at the end of second semester, I can verify that this simple fact makes changing a whole lot easier. Shorts much more easily avoid the eternally damp floors in the locker rooms of the pool than pants.

Second, remember this: the FitnessGram Pacer test is a multistage aerobic capacity test that progressively gets more difficult as it continues. (Remember to run in a straight line and run as long as possible.)

Third, make sure you have your heart rate monitor strap. Seriously, these things enable you to automatically get a green every class just for being there and having a heartbeat. They are not the most fun to wear, but at least they will help you get a decent grade.

Finally, when it comes to participation in general, do not be that one kid that refuses to take part in a single activity. That kid brings down the energy of the entire group. Maybe you do not enjoy working out around stinky boys and cliquey girls, but gym, and life in general, is much more fun when you put in a little effort and have a positive outlook.

Overall, gym class is rarely anyone’s favorite class; however, by following the advice that I have offered, you will be able to navigate the bright blue waters of the pool with relative ease and climb the rock wall to success. And as they say, “If at first you don’t get a green, reassess, reassess again.” Or something like that.