OPINION

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By Anna Grace Shaia

Athletic or not, many students are pressured into participating in sports at Collegiate. There is a two-credit fitness requirement in the Upper School. Because Collegiate physical education classes end once students graduate from Middle School, the athletic requirement keep students active past then and is part of our accreditation with the Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association (VISSA). Collegiate encourages all students to participate in athletics. According to the 2022-23 Collegiate Family Handbook, Collegiate also hopes that “This participation is intended to develop healthy habits of mind, heart, and body, and knowledge that will promote a sound basis for lifetime of fitness.”

In years past, the requirements were much more strict about what counted as a sports credit for a season. Now there are many different non-sport choices to get a “sports” credit, such as Outdoor Collegiate, fitness, after school dance, and the STAR tutoring program, among others. STAR is a program that allows Collegiate Upper School students to go to Quioccasin Middle School after school at least three times a week and help 6th-8th grade students with school work, and it counts as a credit towards the requirement.

I believe that if students were not forced to participate in sports at school, there would be more athletes participating in sports who are more enthusiastic about what they are doing, instead of having students are only there because they are required to be. Coaches could also focus more on training athletes who have potential and not feel like they are in charge of students who are not focused on the sport they are playing. 

Collegiate students participating in Summer Conditioning.

Having to commit to around two hours of an activity that a student may not want to participate in can add a great amount of stress to that student’s life. Not only does participating in after-school activities affect a student’s life, but also the classroom environment and teachers’ plans.

Teachers spend time planning their lessons each day, and when many students don’t show up to class because of away games and early dismissals, the teacher sometimes needs to alter their plan on the spot. When a large team, such as the football team, has a game that causes all of the football players to have an early dismissal, it forces the students to choose athletics over academics and leave class early. Student-athletes missing class adds an extra layer of stress for not only teachers, but for students as well. While some students may be thrilled to be missing their class, they will soon be reminded that they have work to make up and could fall behind. If a student’s grade in a class is too low, that student may be prohibited from missing class for an athletic event.

Since Collegiate competes against schools that are over 100 miles away, such as Cape Henry Collegiate and Norfolk Academy, away games and long drives can result in frequent absences and late nights. Students are sometimes forced to prioritize athletics over academics, when they should be prioritizing their education. Even if their future beyond high school will involve playing sports, students should be prioritizing academics.

Students who have yet to find an activity they enjoy have the opportunity to try different after-school activities that Collegiate offers, but the frustration that can be caused by being cut from a team, doing something you don’t enjoy, or being a less effective player on the team, is significant and can cause a change in one’s attitude and happiness. If a student is participating in an activity that they don’t enjoy just because they need the credit, it can affect what people who want to be there get out of that given activity, changing the dynamics of the team or group.

After-school activities also add an increased level of stress to students’ already busy and chaotic daily life. Many students would like to get all of their work done as soon as they can, so it can be off their mind, but because students have to participate in after-school activities, they have less time after school to complete homework. Having “too much” homework is not a reason to miss a practice, but having practice is not an excuse to not complete all of your homework or perform well on your tests and quizzes the next day. 

Teachers and coaches always emphasize the importance of getting a good night’s sleep, managing stress, and having a healthy social life. While they say that these are all important, much is demanded of student-athletes. Because there are so many expectations placed on students, it becomes hard to know what to prioritize, and oftentimes a sufficient amount of sleep and a healthy social life are the first things to be eliminated. 

Photos courtesy of Collegiate School.