While some high school athletes focus on a single sport year-round, other athletes compete and train in two or more different sports per year, this is called being a multi-sport athlete.
In the Sequoia Union School District, there are different sports to play for the fall, winter and spring seasons. When multi-sport athletes play sports with seasons that are back to back, they have to go through a quick transition from one sport to the other. The shift from fall to winter is underway, so multi-sport athletes are navigating the challenges of this seasonal transition while also enjoying the possible advantages of participating in multiple sports. According to freshman Vivian Argenti, member of the fall sport flag football and the winter sport girls Junior Varsity (JV) soccer, some advantages of participating in multiple sports are enhancing student teamwork skills and helping develop a good mindset for each sport.
“It gives you a good mindset,” Argenti said. “You learn how to be on a team and work well with others.”
Sophomore Elle Mueller, member of the water-polo, basketball and lacrosse teams, believes an advantage of participating in multiple sports is that they benefit students by fostering friendships.
“You’re meeting a lot of people who you don’t have classes with,” Mueller said. “It helps with your communication skills and builds more friendships.”
Varsity girls basketball team coach Jason Llantero added that when working with others students might serve a separate role on each team, broadening their skills.
“You could be really proficient on one team and serve as a leader,” Llantero said. “You could be more of a teammate, more of a role player in another sport.”
Another perk of playing multiple sports is preventing injuries. According to Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, different sports can decrease the chances of stress and burnout as well. Burnout is when an athlete faces declining in their performance in a sport due to overtraining and decreased motivation.
“You don’t get as much overuse with the same movements if you are playing different sports,” Llantero said.
While playing multiple sports can be rewarding, there are potential drawbacks. According to Mueller, one of these challenges is the difficulty in completing homework.
“I know for some sports, it’s six to eight, and coming back home after playing that sport and then trying to do your homework is very overwhelming,” Mueller said.
Mueller added that facing burnout can also be an issue for multi-sport athletes.
“Make sure you account for your rest,” Mueller said. “I also have a really good community of family and friends who are all on these teams with me so that can also help.”
Argenti added that although being a multi-sport athlete can be difficult, it can be a fun and rewarding experience, so it is important to keep a positive mindset when playing sports.
“Don’t stress yourself out too much,” Argenti said. “It’s for fun!”
