Students see them pushing nerds into lockers, crushing the competition, having outrageous parties on the weekends. They may not be the brightest students, but they still rule the school. Such dumb jocks may excel as stereotypes in movies or on television, but they pale in comparison to the real life well-rounded athletes at LZHS.
At LZ, no stereotypical dumb jocks or cheerleaders control the high school’s atmosphere because many students like to be involved in more than one sport or club, Megan Yerger, sophomore, said.
“I think the term [dumb jock] is outdated. It’s just a stereotype that’s included in movies with a high school or college setting along with the stereotypical nerds,” Alex Zurawski, senior, said. “I don’t think I have ever heard the term being said at our school because we have an abundance of well-rounded student athletes.”
According to the US Government’s Fitness website, the high school encourages students to join sports and clubs because it has been proven that physically active students perform better academically and vice versa.
“I can say that being in a sport helps balance physical and mental aspects of your life as a high schooler. I feel better after practice or competitions and feel like my stress is reduced,” Yerger said. “It definitely gives me a boost of confidence and leads to good self esteem, which has helped my performance in school.”
Many other athletes at LZ also feel that sports contribute to their overall well being and involvement within the school. Zurawski, Yerger, and senior Matt Moon all took time to explain their perception about our school.
Alex Zurawski, senior, football player and wrestler
“People underestimate football players’ and wrestlers’ academic abilities, which could be because of the stereotype. Some people are surprised when I tell them my GPA and ACT scores and that I am in AP classes,” Zurawski said. “I find that more parents are surprised than students about my academic achievements because the term ‘dumb jock’ was more relevant in their high school years and the movies around that time.”
Other than sports, Zurawski is in the National Honor Society and is a peer minister at his church, St. Francis de Sales.
“When it comes to school, academics is my first priority, but I believe as an athlete you learn to balance your sports and activities with school work,” Zurawski said.
Because Zurawski excels in school, he believes he is able to enjoy his sports and have more fun outside of school.
“I used to play sports to prove I was good at something,” Zurawski said. “But as an athlete, doing well in school and being involved in other clubs is just as important and impressive. I don’t have to worry about keeping my grades up in order to participate in sports. If our team loses a football game or I lose a wrestling match, I know it’s not the end of the world because I have other areas of my life in school that I am always looking to improve.”
Megan Yerger, sophomore, cheerleader
Yerger agrees with Zurawski that no one should underestimate an athlete’s academic achievements because of a stereotype.
“The only reason I can think of someone calling an athlete stupid or dumb is because they are jealous or they purposely want to put someone down. It can make someone think they are stupid and can make them stop trying in school because they believe they have no chance of improving. At LZHS, I think we have many well-rounded athletes that have their own talents inside the school and outside of school.”
Yerger said that although she is a cheerleader, other students in her classes treat her the same as any other athlete or non-athlete.
“People in my classes see me as a classmate first, not a cheerleader. I am given the same respect as anyone in the classroom, so their views of me may be different than those who just see me at cheer practice or competitions,” Yerger said. “But either way, just because someone sees you in a particular setting outside of school, it doesn’t mean they have the right to judge you.”
Outside of cheerleading, Yerger is involved in Student Council, Interact, and a youth group at her church. She also is in all honors and AP classes.
“If you’re a motivated athlete, usually you are motivated to do better in class, which is why I think our teachers love to see us be involved and are always there to encourage or help us,” Yerger said.
Matt Moon, senior, basketball and football player
LZHS may be known for its extraordinary student athletes, but the coaches and teachers should share most of the credit for eliminating the “dumb jock” stereotype, Moon said.
“Our school’s system about being eligible to play sports is a lot more strict than other school’s systems because our school encourages [us to do our best in everything],” Moon said. “The coaches and teachers have our respect and we strive not to let them down.”
Even though our football and basketball teams may lack height, we make it up with skill and intelligence, Moon said.
“We are usually the smaller team, for football and basketball, but we strive on being smarter and strategically beating our opponents,” Moon said. “Our coaches know we have talent, and they do a great job bringing it out of us.”
According to Moon, the coaches set academic goals for their teams to achieve throughout the season.
“For football, we want everyone to make the honor roll this first semester,” Moon said. “We went around the circle and asked everyone individually if they could achieve this, and they all said yes. For basketball, we wanted to go the whole season without having anyone being ineligible, freshmen through varsity.”
Overall, Moon said he thinks the term “dumb jocks” is irrelevant at our school because of the majority athletes who excel in school.
“I have to admit there are people who don’t believe me at first when I tell them I am involved at the school, in NHS, getting good grades in the top classes. It doesn’t bother me at all; I think it is funny how surprised some people act,” Moon said. “Truth is, there are some kids who may fit the stereotypical jock, but there are so many more kids who are outside of that category at LZ.”