Athletic Determination Turned Crippling Stress by Casey McKenna

Did you know that the average student athlete’s schedule consists of six hours of school, two-to-three hours of sports practice, and two or more hours of homework? Did you know that many student athletes take honors and AP classes while participating in sports on outside teams as well? This can add another two-to-three hours of practice to that already rigorous schedule.

Did you know that some student-athletes also play instruments and participate in music-related clubs, adding to practice time both in and out of school?

Did you know that severe sleep deprivation is typical of a student-athlete?

For many of us, these facts are common knowledge. Speaking as a student-athlete myself, I felt it necessary to make these facts clear before continuing on.

Those who continually try to balance school, sports and all other stresses of high school often risk their physical, mental, and emotional well-being. We are killing today’s athletes. Therefore, it is a complete waste of time to require student athletes to participate in gym classes during their sport’s season. Replacing gym classes with a study hall would be a far better use of their already limited time. Students could use this time to catch up on homework, work missed due to SGI’s, or study for tests.

Students are often forced to choose between their sport and high-level classes to better manage their time. Both sports and high-level classes contain numerous benefits, and with an extra period to balance their lives, students wouldn’t have to choose.

As a student-athlete myself, I’ve experienced the stress and pressure that comes with managing school and sports. I’ve been there. I’ve stayed up until 2 in the morning to study and woken up at 5 am to finish up homework. I’ve also been injured and forced to sit in the library on gym day–and you wouldn’t believe the difference those 45 minutes can make to alleviating stress and catching up on school work.

A three-season athlete will spend anywhere from 800-1600 hours at sports practice over the course of their time in high school. Time in gym class will amount to maybe 182 hours. If the purpose of physical education is to promote physical fitness, then two-to-three 45-minute gym classes a week cannot compare to one-and-a-half to three hours of sports practice daily.

The recommended amount of daily exercise to maintain a healthy lifestyle is 30 minutes. Student athletes already fulfill their daily requirement in practice. A gym teacher and field hockey coach has even been quoted as saying, “It is a waste of time, considering [athletes] already get the required amount of being active.”  Forcing student-athletes to attend gym class makes no sense. It is clear that these students are not lacking the motivation to exercise.

Many opposed to the idea feel physical education has other benefits, such as teaching nutrition and leadership skills. Taking students out of this class would supposedly deprive them of these benefits. As far as leadership building, are these students not building leadership skills in their sport? Sports are proven to build leadership skills, teamwork, and cooperation. And yes, it is true that some physical education classes may touch upon topics such as health and nutrition. To address this, I would suggest that the physical education department develops a nutrition and healthy lifestyle packet to be completed each quarter by these athletes. This would ensure students who are exempt from gym classes do not lose the educational value of the class.

In addition, there is a benefit for students who do not participate in sports. In districts where this policy was implemented, students have found that gym classes have regained their original purpose. Removal of the athletes evened the playing field and the decrease in class size allowed teachers to tailor classes to fit the needs of the remaining students. Teachers were able to create fitness plans that would actually benefit the group. I can see no logical reason as to why this program has not yet been implemented. It’s our job to make this idea a reality.