Playing more than one sport has its ups and downs

The high school is filled with all kinds of hard working students who are dedicated to activities other than school work. There are those who commit to clubs, sports, community service, academic decathlon and other things that students can focus some of their time on. Then there are those who decide to double their commitment to that activity by participating in more than one; specifically sports. Practice before school, after school, and maybe again later at night. How can these almost superhuman students balance school and athletics, and what kind of toll does it take on them?

When two different sports intertwine in a student’s schedule, it can cause a lot of stress, exhaustion and a large chunk of free time to be eliminated from their day. Two practices in one day, games, meets or tournaments all clogging up the week is definitely a demanding commitment.

“I have a lot less time for homework and, especially in track, I miss a lot of school for meets,” junior Lily Cormier, who runs both track and cross country, said.

“Every day is long and exhausting,” junior Blake Barton, who plays football and runs track, said. “Waking up for practice before school and finishing another one after is taxing.”

Most every student’s schedule is already taken up a majority by academic responsibilities; homework, projects and quizzes or tests to study for all subtract the time they have outside of school.

“There’s plenty of days where I struggle to find the motivation to study at home because of how much I’ve already been active during the day,” Barton said.

With their involvement in multiple sports already taking a lot of time, one could easily see how athletes in two or more sports have to figure out a balance between schoolwork and athletics and how to manage their packed schedule efficiently. Students find time at their sports events to do homework and study, but still have trouble staying motivated to get schoolwork done.

“In both [cross country] and track I just have to try not to procrastinate and just sit down and get stuff done when I get home, and in track I try to get some work done at meets,” Cormier said.

Although there are many ways playing two sports can be stressful and tiring on those who do, they are still happy with their choice to be involved and believe it has an overall positive effect on themselves, whether it is through meeting new friends, bettering themselves physically and mentally or boosting their confidence.

“At the end of the day, I can appreciate that I’ve done more than most in order to better myself,” Barton said. “There’s no harm in trying it, and I think it makes you a more dedicated and hardworking person in the long run.”