Athletes juggle multiple sports

High school often comes with the intimidating nature of balancing extracurriculars and academics. Getting through four years of high school itself is an honorable achievement, but some people also add a sport on top of academic work. Others even juggle multiple sports.

There are various ways in which athletes seek interest in other sports. Junior Veronica Kwok began with volleyball, but decided to try flag football after it was added to the Aragon sports department this year.

“I’ve never played outdoor sports that much, so that was definitely a really big change for me,” Kwok said. “It was just fun being out in the sun or at night just getting to experience what other people who play soccer, for instance, experience.”

Additionally, family members can contribute to interest in sports. Freshman Kurt Nguyen, who started off with exclusively basketball now plays water polo and swimming on top of a year-round commitment to basketball.

“[I started playing water polo] mainly because when I grew up, I [saw] my brother and sister … play water polo, so I [had to] keep the family tradition,” Nguyen said.

However, the motivation to play another sport doesn’t always have to come from family. Freshman Hamilton Zhang focuses mainly on basketball, but also plays volleyball in the spring for a different reason.

“All my friends were doing [volleyball] so I thought it’d be fun if I actually tried it and right now I’m just playing [volleyball] for fun and [focused on] basketball,” Zhang said. “[The benefits of playing both are that] you get to meet more people that have the same hobbies as you do. Also, you get to be in shape.”

Sports like cross country and track and field can have a different kind of connection in which both help each other.

“With my sports, it’s very connected,” said junior Miles Rokala who runs cross country and track and field. “[There is] more muscle during the track season [because] you want to be more powerful. Less focus on distance, but we still need endurance. [When you] do [just] cross country, you could be good, but after doing track, you’ll come back next season even better.”

There are other cases where techniques and skill sets can be applied to seemingly different sports.

“You get to learn new techniques in both [soccer and flag football] that can be applied to many other sports,” said junior Kaia Smith, who plays soccer and flag football. “Soccer definitely helps. It’s a bridge between every sport. Running [and] ball technique applies to anything that you want to play.”

Zhang also sees a similar connection between basketball and volleyball.

“When I practice basketball, that also translates to volleyball, a good amount, because, for example, if I have a good vertical in basketball that also helps in volleyball,” Zhang said.

Some players struggle with the transition between two sports.

“It’s going to be a tough transition [between water polo and basketball] because in the water, [it] is a lot slower than [in] basketball,” Nguyen said.

Others play one sport all-year-round, preventing these transition issues.

“I play club [soccer] year round,” Smith said. “After school, I went to flag practice and then I went straight to soccer practice after … So, [time management] was definitely hard … I only had flag for two months [and] it’s been really busy. But now, since our last game is today, it will definitely die down with just playing soccer.”

Sports can be seen as an additional obstacle to fit into one’s schedule. However, it can also be a tool to develop better time management, and better discipline.

“[Playing multiple sports] puts you in a position where you have to step up your game with your academics,” Rokala said. “[For example,] instead of having five hours to do homework, you’d have one or two hours, because you have to get proper rest and everything … It does put a lot of limitations on your academics, but you can make it work.”

Students who take on this challenge, often find it a rewarding experience. Even though playing multiple sports is not always easy, it can be a valuable opportunity where students get to learn time management, universally applicable skill sets and the uniqueness of a variety of sports.

“This is the first time I have ever played two sports at once,” Smith said. “It’s definitely challenging but it’s still rewarding and fun.”