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Timpview players and coaches celebrate after making the game-winning field goal in the 5A semifinal game against Olympus at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Nov. 9, 2023.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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The Maple Mountain girls volleyball team celebrates a point during a 5A state quarterfinal match with Viewmont at the UCCU Center on Thursday, Nov. 2, 2023.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

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Maple Mountain runners celebrate after the 5A boys race at the 2023 state cross country meet at the Regional Athletic Complex in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Maple Mountain players celebrate after winning the penalty-kick shootout in the 5A championship game against Bountiful at America First Field in Sandy on Friday, Oct. 20, 2023.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Orem senior Maya Inouye gets congratulated by her teammates after the 4A girls tennis No. 1 singles final at Liberty Park in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Spanish Fork players celebrate as the first runner, sophomore Shelbee Shepherd (12) scores after a three-run home run during Game 2 of the 5A state championship series against Bountiful at Gail Miller Field in Provo on Friday, May 26, 2023.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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American Fork players celebrate after winning the 6A championship series against Skyridge at UCCU Ballpark in Orem on Saturday, May 27, 2023.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Skyridge senior Kylie Olsen celebrates winning the 800-meter race in the 6A girls competition during the 2023 state track meet at the Robison Track Complex in Provo on Saturday, May 20, 2023.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Cedar Valley celebrate after its first girls lacrosse playoff win in school history after the 5A first round game at Timpview on Tuesday, May 16, 2023.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Lone Peak senior Makeili Ika (right) and sophomore Katy Lawrence celebrate after the 6A championship game against Skyridge at the Dee Events Center in Ogden on Saturday, March 4, 2023.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Skyridge swimmers celebrate winning the title by jumping into the pool after the finals of the 2023 6A state boys and girls swim meet at the Richards Building in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 18, 2023.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Pleasant Grove's Bradlee Farrer celebrates after winning the finals of the 150-pound division at the 6A state boys wrestling finals at the UCCU Center in Orem on Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

❮ ❯

Take a quick peek at the holiday wish lists of some Utah Valley high school athletes and you’ll probably find some common themes.

As far as things that could be wrapped up and put under a tree, equipment like new balls or rackets or clubs would probably be there. Maybe safety gear like shin guards or the latest hot training tool would be as well.

Some, of course, might choose to write down some big-picture items they want, like league titles, scholarship offers or NIL (name, image and likeness) opportunities.

While all of these possibilities are certainly important, it’s all too easy for high school athletes to be like the rest of us and get caught up in the minutia of their chosen sports.

In doing so, they are more likely miss out on the things they really want out of their prep competition experience.

So here is a wish list of the things the Utah Valley high school sports participants should really want:

1. Powerful relationships

It’s important for athletes at all levels to recognize the impact connection can have on performance. This is more obvious for team sports but applies in every arena, since there are always others involved.

Youth and club sports start teaching athletes about the value of relationships with coaches, officials and teammates, as well as with family. High school sports open the door to a wider spectrum that includes teachers, administrators and the entire community.

Some of those connections will be easy and natural. You’ll feel like you’ve known someone forever and can’t imagine not being friends.

Others will be more challenging and require adaptability, patience and overcoming obstacles to create.

But each one will teach you more about yourself, about who you are and who you can become.

Value them. Appreciate the impact each has in your life.

2. Personal growth and insight

The biggest benefit of athletics isn’t the scholarships or even the thrill of victory. It’s the fact that they are a microcosm of life and can provide valuable lessons in a controlled environment.

It’s up to each participant to embrace the learning and molding that comes with competing, to make the most of the opportunity to grow.

How do you handle adversity? What is your mentality when things are going well or when things happen that aren’t fair? How determined are you to find solutions or overcome mistakes? Where do you shine most? What are the hardest challenges for you to deal with?

Every one of these questions you can gain answers to during your high school playing career will give you an edge as you construct your life and becoming the person you want to be.

3. Respect for all

The current societal norm across the nation appears to focus on antagonism and conflict, often by individuals hiding behind digital devices as they berate and abuse those who don’t agree with them.

Sports, however, isn’t like that.

At the end of the day, victory comes down to going out on the field or the court or the mat or the diamond and finding a way to finish with a better score than your opponent.

And the other competitor and/or team may be better. It may be worse. It may have worked harder or not as hard it. It may have been luckier or not as lucky.

But each individual involved — athletes, coaches, trainers, referees, scorers, managers, fans, administrators, parents, etc. — deserves to be treated with respect.

It can be tough to do in the heat of the moment, when the call goes against you or emotions are high. But athletes do hard things all the time.

Fight for that respect for everyone, even when you don’t agree with them, and you’ll find the benefits are worth the costs.

4. Appreciation for the moment

How much time is spent in high school pushing students to focus on the future? It’s certainly important to get in college applications, complete important testing, consider career paths and — for athletes — work hard to earn scholarship opportunities.

But while planning for what will come in the next few years, also realize how important it is to savor what you have right now.

Next time you are at practice or doing conditioning, look around at the team members who are there with you. Appreciate their strengths and their quirks, the good times and the hard times.

Each day is a chance for a squad to enjoy what it has because there is no telling how long it will last.

Graduation will always come. Injuries will take their toll. In extreme cases, unfortunately, tragedies happen and things change dramatically.

So make the most of today before getting too focused on tomorrow.

5. Amazing memories

Every team and individual have the goal of the being the best it or they can be.

Sometimes that means finishing the year with a state championship, but that pinnacle can only be reached by a few teams every year. And even when it does, the excitement lasts for a while before eventually fading a little.

But so many athletes come to the end of their time in high school and love looking back at lower-profile experiences like bus rides, team activities, early-morning workouts and inside jokes.

Competitors want to win — but more importantly they want to compete. Just getting to play means risking winning or losing, but enjoying the game is the first priority.

As the holiday season rolls around, take a moment to think back to the best moments of your high school sports career, past and present.

Hopefully it brings a smile as you think about all the great memories being part of prep athletics has created.

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