The year is 2006; skinny jeans are unavoidable, MySpace has taken over everyone you hold dear, and you can get a tall latte from Starbucks for only $1.40. But most importantly, millions of children are gathering around their television to watch “High School Musical”.
Behind the iconic music and questionable acting that captivated us all, there was a story to be told about breaking out of your comfort zone to do something you love, despite the societal pushback that may come with it. Consequently, Gen Z has grown up internalizing the groundbreaking concept of being interested in basketball and theater simultaneously; but how does Troy Bolton’s fictional dilemma translate to real life?
Senior Jarod Cada has not only been on Lincoln Southeast’s football team for all four years of his high school career, but has also been playing since elementary school. It’s safe to say that he is familiar with the sport and its culture. Besides his interest in the game itself, he also loves the community.
“With football everyone is super close because you need everyone to do their role for you to be successful,” Cada explains. “We always bonded really close and that’s one of the best parts of sports.”
Regardless of the fulfillment Cada gets from being involved in football, he still wants to do more.
“I find doing as many things as I can keeps me busy and allows me to meet the best people around our school community,” Cada said. So, in order to get the most out of his time he decides to take a step in the complete opposite direction of football: Musical Theater.
“I have always wanted to do (theater) but I have been really busy with sports and such (…) ‘Spongebob the Musical’ really caught my attention, so I knew I wanted to do it,” Cada said. But he isn’t the only LSE athlete who took an interest in this year’s musical.
Senior Britta Carlson decided to cram rehearsal for Spongebob the Musical into her already packed schedule of soccer, basketball, choir and dance.
“I have faced pushback for being in both activities as my schedule gets very chaotic,” Carlson says, explaining how her involvement in both sports and performing arts affects everyday life. “I am often at school from 3:30-8:30 for after school activities. I eat dinner late often and arrive late to different activities.”
This struggle of time management is one that both Carlson and Cada identify with, being a much bigger problem than the social pushback that shows and movies like “Glee” or “High School Musical” portray. That being said, there is some truth to that narrative.
“I have definitely had people in my life make fun of me for being in an activity,” Carlson states.
Cada expands on this, offering some reasoning behind the backlash: “I think that (the teasing) is just because I had never done something like this in high school before so nobody really expected me to do it.”
While being a simple theory from Cada, the cause of someone’s negative behavior towards a boy being interested in the performing arts aligns with the proven fact that humans have a primal instinct to fear unconventionality and trying new things. This instinct comes from the very real risk of being kicked out of your group when doing something out of the norm, and potentially dying because of it. That being said, people need to realize that breaking out of your mold, especially when it comes to something small like embracing a new hobby, isn’t going to put you at risk of death like it might have in prehistoric times. Instead, you can gain skills and have fun when branching out into new territory.
“Football has given me teamwork, communication, and being able to meet new people and understand their stories. Theater has given me the skills to step out of my comfort zone and also allowed me to improve my public speaking skills,” Cada said.
Carlson pointed out that she has tons of immensely different people from her experience participating in multiple activities.“What makes it the most enjoyable is the people. I have made so many friends being involved in choir and sports,”
Among these benefits, Carlson also mentioned that being involved in multiple activities could positively affect your future, given how great so many different experiences look on a resume.
Both Carlson and Cada wholeheartedly support student athletes trying something new, regardless of the criticism or issues that may come with it.
“Get involved in as many activities as you can. It will make you a better person and make you much more well rounded. Step out of your comfort zone and join choir or theater,” Cada said. “It will be the best decision you’ve ever made.”
