It is no secret that the benefits of playing sports are vast, varied, and permanent.

Students have the opportunity to make friends with similar interests. Learning a new skills is good for the brain and self esteem.

They also teach decision making skills under pressure. Ten seconds are left in the fourth quarter. Run for the endzone or throw a Hail Mary pass and pray it gets caught?

There is also a link from playing sports to higher grades. The rate of drop outs are lower. And students who play sports are less likely to get involved in more serious infractions like drugs and unwanted pregnancy.

The mission statement of the Ashville Spirit Club is to offer an individual design that empowers everyone to exercise socially in an integrated setting.

For those of us picked last for every team-actually, we didn’t get picked at all, they had to take us-this is particularly touching. Why should lack of hand eye coordination keep us from higher self esteem, making new friends, and getting an extra something on our college application form?

In addition to the aforementioned lessons, there are the losing with grace and winning with graciousness. A sore loser is bad enough. But an ungracious winner is unbearable. And it is a truth universally acknowledged that you win some, you lose some.

To find out more about the activities and fundraisers, join the group Ashville Spirit Club on Facebook. You will be notified as to every activity and how they plan to finance it.

Buy a raffle ticket. Attend a car show. Keep this organization going. And parents, teachers coaches, keep plugging away. The differences it makes in a child’s life are vast, varied and irreversible.

There is a security and sense of pride in representing one’s community in any way. And Ashville, from its history to its lush foliage, sports teams has so much to be proud of it.