Many students in high school play multiple sports. Depending on if they are in the same seasons and what the sports require, it can be a challenge. It can be hard to balance them, but also fun to be involved in many different things.
When people are younger, they may be forced or told to play many sports to discover what they like. As students get older, they usually find one or two to stick with that become the main thing students focus on. “I was definitely encouraged to try everything. [When I was younger] I [did] swimming, gymnastics, dance, and skating at the same time. So I had to quit two of them,” freshman Audrey Villarreal said.
If students only play one sport, they can focus on it more and put all their time into it. Many people drop one sport to focus on another. They may be full-commitment sports, and hard to play both. For example, if both of the sports are in the winter, and they like one better than the other, students may contemplate quitting one so they don’t feel they need to choose where to go for every practice or game. “I want to do college lacrosse. And so I’m focusing on that…this is my first year doing only one sport,” sophomore Abbie Kagel said.
It can also be hard to balance sports if there are two that people love equally, especially if they are in the same season. If there are different expectations for the different sports, then it can be easier to manage. “I like them both at the same time [but] I have different goals for each of them,” Villarreal said.
For people playing a variety of sports, it can be a good lesson on how to manage time well and give different perspectives. Playing different types of sports can lead a person to become well-rounded and even help in life. “I feel like team sport helps you with community, versus individual skill set and being your own best player,” Villarreal said.
As high schoolers are getting close to college, they may take advantage of the opportunities the school has for sports and being able to have fun with them. Most of the time working hard and putting in the time is a thing people need but aren’t willing to do in college. “[In] college, there’s some people who can do multiple sports. But then it’s usually like people will join clubs,” Kagel said.