The Smoke Signal

By Staff Writers Joanne Park & Varun Upadhyay

SportsHi was founded in 2018 to encourage high school students nationwide to participate in sports as well as network with college coaches and other student-athletes. In December 2020, President Senior Raymond Tam and Vice President Senior Clyde John created an MSJ SportsHi chapter in hopes of providing students the resources to continue their sports journey into college.

Members of MSJ SportsHi have access to SportsHi’s app, where student-athletes across the US can share training content, connect with coaches of college programs, and apply for scholarships that directly go into their college funds. The platform is not exclusive to only athletes — SportsHi also offers an ambassador program where students can get experience in marketing, business, and product development sectors of sports.

As members of MSJ Track and Field for three years, Tam and John discovered the value of connections and outreach in sports. “What separated [SportsHi] from their competitors was the fact that they really catered towards all student-athletes and sports-loving individuals, not just the top 5% of athletes who are already receiving Division I scholarships. I definitely saw a need for SportsHi’s resources at MSJ because I know we have a lot of student-athletes who are gifted both academically and athletically so I’m hoping through our club, we’ll be able to bring opportunities so these individuals can continue their athletics journeys throughout college,” John said.

Besides taking advantage of SportsHi’s resources, MSJ SportsHi also holds school-specific workshops and events. Throughout the last few months since the club’s establishment, they have hosted three major events — the most recent was a guest speaker session with MSJ Alumnus and Olympic Bronze Medalist Kevin Tan, who shared his journey to becoming a professional gymnast. The other past events include a guest speaker session with MSJ Alumnus and former NFL Kicker Justin Medlock, as well as a Sports Season Informational event, where more than 80 students joined to receive the latest updates about the incoming sports season and connect with captains from each individual sport. The club is now working on fundraising for MSJ’s athletic department to have a greater impact on the community.

By hosting these engaging opportunities for students to connect with professional athletes and the athletics program at MSJ, MSJ SportsHi hopes to show the benefits that come with staying active. “Through our club, I hope our members are able to reap the benefits that playing a sport has to offer. Being able to see our members achieve growth in areas like leadership, perseverance, and discipline is one of our top priorities,” said John.

In the future, the club plans to continue hosting guest speaker sessions and other major events to generate greater student interest in sports. Additionally, once in-person learning resumes, the club hopes to hold more hands-on and interactive events like a 3 vs. 3 Basketball Tournament to raise money for charity and provide entertainment for the student body. “I hope the club can continue to have a positive impact on the MSJ athletic department, and I hope it becomes a more integral part of our school community,” said Tam.

Join the MSJ SportsHi Facebook group here to stay updated on upcoming meetings and events.

Cover image by Sports Editor Anika Arora