The Nerdy Alternative

Many people ask me ‘why chess team?’ When I tell them that instead of joining a winter sport like wrestling or basketball, I chose chess team.

Well, when I get right down to it, the main reason is that I will get out of school every Tuesday to go play a game. Maybe not the most action packed, epic game, but a game none the less.

I wasn’t even expecting to be slightly good at it. So, it was a pleasant surprise when I beat the fifth board player in Penn Manor. I was thinking that I might actually have some potential, even though I was creamed by the second board player 10 minutes later.

It’s not that I haven’t considered doing something else instead of chess. Two of my friends, who are on the wrestling team, try to convince me to join wrestling. I thought it through, but the thought of being put in an incredibly awkward position by a guy in tight clothes was enough to close that door for me.

Joining basketball crossed my mind a few times. I mean, I’m kind of tall, skinny, and look like I would make a good basketball player. However, after shooting a few free throws and remembering back to my elementary school years when I played basketball, I was reminded that I must lack hand-eye coordination, or the basketball hoop hates me.

Not knowing the vast sport options that Penn Manor has to offer, a friend suggested that I join the chess team. I didn’t have anything else to do after school, so I decided to go to the practices.

I’ve actually come to enjoy it too and, as incredibly nerdy as it sounds, I look forward to the end of the school day to play, learn, and improve my strategy.

By: Mike Stokes