The fact that in general the Americans take sports and competitions so seriously leaves me speechless every time , even though I’ve already spent four months in the States . In Italy we don’t have such a strong attachment to athletic activities . My classmates here couldn’t believe me when I told them about it .
Last week my school hosted an important event called “Stokes”. The stokes are three days in which (from the morning to the evening) teams from different cities have basketball competitions .
Students (all of them) really love this event , they look forward to watching it the whole year. During these three days, you go to your class and, if the teacher allows you, you can go to the gym. It is said that not every teacher allows his/her students , but actually I see most of the students in the gym all the time.
For me the gym full of teens is always strange. I should be used to it but I’m not. Strange in a good way though. Because every time it makes me feel as if I’m part of something huge.
When I’m surrounded by lots of people, I often stop doing anything else to observe the group dynamic.
The students scream and cheer to support their team or simply enjoy their friends’ company. But there is something else that is really difficult to express. It’s like a feeling that you cannot describe.
I also noticed that sports create aggregation . When supporting your team while it’s playing against another one , all social differences ( age, “social position” in school, popularity, etc) seem to disappear.
Giulia Orifalco