LMHS is an exceptional school for sports, but we also have a lot of failed athletes — kids who maybe spent several years learning a sport only to end it when they start high school.  As high school sports demand more and more attention, there seems to be an increase in the number of kids who might normally do a sport but have decided to quit instead.

Sophomore Ellie K. is a typical failed athlete.  “I spent several years of my life doing Allstar cheer.” “The high school homework load is probably the biggest reason why I failed as an Allstar cheerleader.”  “I wasn’t enjoying it, it was hard to make friends and way too much homework to keep me doing it.”  Ellie is not alone. Sophomore Julianna D. says, “I cheered for 6 years and dropped out last year because it started to get boring and it wasn’t as fun as it used to be.” “The expectation in high school is near total devotion to your sport, so it just became less fun.”

Many teens hope for more of a life balance in high school. Our parents tell us that they not only did multiple sports, but also participated in clubs and got their homework done.  The world must have changed because sports have become almost fanatical now at the high school level.  Kids are starting their sports in elementary school and parents/coaches keep pushing them like they are going into the Olympics.  The fact is, sports should be fun; not a stresser.

Sophomore Hannah M. is also a typical failed athlete. “I spent 5 years doing club volleyball and a year doing school volleyball.” She states that she didn’t have much free time for friends with the constant mandatory practices and that it was very stressful. “I quit club volleyball because it made it so I didn’t have time to hang out with my friends or to do homework, and on top of that it also caused me a lot of unnecessary anxiety to perform at my best at all times and never miss a game or practice in fear of disappointing someone.”

A recent study says that 70 percent of kids in the USA now quit their sports by the age of 13. Also, much of the time when teens quit a sport, it is because the excitement that they had for that sport is now gone due to the added pressures of high school.