Exams, projects, preparation for ACT, college admissions, thinking about the unknown future and not getting the recommended eight hours of sleep are all things that high school students experience on a daily basis. If that is not a long enough list, student-athletes must spend an average of two hours each day practicing their sport.

Spending more than ten hours a week on sports means that there is less time for unwinding.  “[When] you have a sport and school work you have less time for being with friends and family and just relaxing,” said Natalie Bullock, a Pioneer Lacrosse player at Community. All of these actions are considered enjoyable and something that she would do in her free time. Without the extra time Bullock has less time to relax, which in turn keeps her stress level higher.

So what’s good about students playing sports?

Luckily, there is a positive to these time consuming activities. They are enjoyable. “Golf is so fun,” said Jared Utsunomiya, a Skyline Golf player who attends Community High School, “I get to play nine holes everyday with my best friend.” Even though he is using some of his time that he could be using to study, he is getting happiness out of it. Enjoyment in life should always be a priority.

Another great reason for these students to play sports is the preparation sports gives them for the future. Even though it is stressful now, these student-athletes are learning a valuable life lesson: time management. This is one of the key secrets to success. “[sports] help [my time management] because I get home, and I say, I have to get all of this done,” said Emily Hatch, a rower on the Skyline Crew Team. This kind of attitude towards work is something that cannot be taught, only learned through experience; the younger you learn time management, the better off you will be. Playing a sport in high school helps set up positive habits for the future.