For many student-athletes, sports have been a way to escape the pressures of life and release their pent-up energy. However, due to the shelter-in-place orders, many athletes have lost the ability to play with their team.
“I think that sports played a very important role in terms of stress relief,” said Aragon’s Lead Mental Health Therapist Jillian Ma. “The physical activity of athletics can be very good for our bodies and for our mental health … just to be able to release all the energy and everything that we have.”
Sports also offer a way to talk and socialize with friends and work as a team.
“Being a part of a team and having a community is a really important part of being on a sports team,” Ma said. “It is important for our well-being generally just being a part of something.”
“Having a community is a really important part of being on a sports team … [and] for our well-being generally”
Without sports, athletes have found it harder to focus at school as they have no way to let out their energy. A 2012 study from the University of Kansas found that athletes outperformed non-athletes in most academic areas including grade point average, state assessments and the ACT. Practicing sports regularly increases blood flow to the brain leading to better concentration and boosted memory. When athletes lack a way to get out and move, their academic success and attentiveness in class suffers.
“I feel like sports are a really big break from school,” said senior basketball power-forward Murphy Caffo. “It made me feel relaxed after I go to practice to be able to come home and do my homework easily because I got my energy out. I feel like it’s my senior season, so I’m kind of sad that it’s gone. It’s made me a little bit more antsy during school.”
Freshman football quarterback Max Thronson is in a similar situation. Without an outlet to relieve stress, he hasn’t been in the best mindset to concentrate.
“I’ve been slacking off a lot more than [I used to],” Thronson said. “I’ll find myself not paying attention sometimes, and I nudge myself back in the right direction. I think that is definitely related to there being a lack of ways for me to let out a little bit of anxiety [or] stress.”
Even though some students can work out or practice solo, the level of concentration required to play alone doesn’t compare to playing the sport with a team. Working out can quickly get boring once a routine is established. However, playing sports with other people keeps athletes on their toes which improves focus in other areas of life.
“When you’re working out you can have music,” Thronson said. “You can even work out while you’re watching a sports game. You don’t need to be locked in when you’re working out all the time, especially if you memorize the routine. It gets kind of mundane, and there’s not really many variables that you got to pay attention to. I definitely would say during the game you have to be more on edge, and it’s also just way more fun.”
The lack of sports has affected senior athletes the most severely. Before the shelter-in-place order in March, they were either finished or in the middle of the season, looking forward to their final year of high school sports.
“It’s a lot. I’ve been playing basketball my whole life, and my senior year has gotten robbed from me,” Caffo said. “I at least want to have basketball. If there’s no fans I’d still be fine with that.”
The Central Coast Section recently announced a two season plan, as of Sept. 17, that would make sports split into two seasons. The first season starts on Dec. 28 and the second starts on Feb. 22, Mar. 8 or Mar. 15, depending on the sport.
The lack of sports has given athletes more drive and determination after the stay-at-home order. As teams and facilities reopen, athletes are able to make the best of their upcoming seasons and outwork their opponents.
For now, athletes should make sure to work out and go outside, as air quality and social distancing measures permit, and do their best to keep in contact with their teammates.
