“Almost anyone can become comfortable in a skirt” (Sam the Athlete) : Persuasive Paragraph
“The path of the heart is the only path worth following” – Stewart McLean. Sam the Athlete is a short story written by Stuart McLean. A boy named Sam is starting middle school and all he wants to do is fit in. He tried many different sports but failed to find the right one for him. After seeing a poster at school he joined the field hockey team where he found himself to be the only boy. Everyone assumed Sam was a girl under all of his goalie padding. Sam’s first instinct was to run far away but during the successful practice he made the decision to stay on the team. Sam kept wearing the field hockey skirt pretending to be a girl to fit in. After it is revealed that Sam is a boy he decides to continue to wear the skirt. The skirt makes Sam feel like part of the team and like he finally fits in which makes it the right decision. When Sam puts his skirt on he feels comfortable and free. He loved the way it felt to run on the field “almost anyone can become comfortable in a skirt” said Sam. Some people might argue that kids from Sam’s middle school will find it weird or wrong that a boy is wearing a skirt but why does that matter if he feels happy and proud. Sam’s mom informed Sam that the skirt is actually called a kilt and are commonly worn by boys and men in Scotland in attempt to make him comfortable with his decision. Although it didn’t matter to Sam as he was already confident in his decision, “everyone on the team wears one” stated Sam. Sam is finally part of a team and no one can take that away from him. If Sam chose not to wear the skirt he would feel like he stood out and would once again be fighting to fit in. Sam followed his heart and this is why he made the right decision to keep wearing the skirt.
