Playing three sports might feel like a daunting task, but for those who attempt the feat, it comes with great rewards. It takes extraordinary time management, physical endurance, and strong desire to go from one sport to another for three straight seasons.
One problem that all athletes can agree on is school work, mixed with practice and games, can lead to stressed and exhausted teenagers. Now imagine that times three.
“I have to find a happy medium between the time I put into my sports as well as my studies for school,” junior Julia Reimer said.
Senior and football and basketball letterman Vinny Schmidt agrees with that statement.
“It takes a lot of time everyday to play and I get lots of school work; so that’s a big challenge,” Schmidt said.
Besides being mentally taxing, three seasons per year can be hard on the body. An athlete transitioning from fall season to winter season, or from winter season to spring season may only have a couple weeks between sports, or as little as one day.
“A challenge of being a three-sport athlete is going from sport to sport with hardly a break in between them. After awhile your body just gets really tired,” sophomore Hope Kohmetscher said.
It’s not all disadvantages for those who can transfer their skills from one sport to another.
“All three sports that I play use some of the same footwork,” Schmidt said. “I don’t overuse the same muscles all year round so I’m not always sore on the same places of my body.”
The National Federation of State High School Associations says that being a multi-sport athlete helps a teenager avoid burnout and repetitive stress injuries. Another benefit is that their bodies stay in motion all year long and the transitions between sports are easier because they are already conditioned.
“I notice from basketball to track that I’m in way better shape from all the running up and down the court which helps me going right into track,” said Kohmetscher, who also participates in volleyball.
There is no doubt that three-sport athletes play a key role on all of their teams. Most said they didn’t come into highschool with the specific intent to play a sport in every season, but instead felt they had a duty to their teammates.
“Playing three sports wasn’t as much of a goal, but rather what I expect myself to do. I have grown up playing softball, basketball, and soccer. I feel like the skills I have developed over the years will benefit the team and therefore it is my obligation to help the team as much as I can,” Reimer said.
She also enjoys being involved in as many school activities as possible, which is a common trait of multiple sport athletes. The new addition of a baseball team at HHS adds many new three sport athletes to the spectrum and therefore improving the school for the better.
“Baseball was brought up this year, and it’s one of my favorite sports, so I wanted to play,” said Schmidt, who will be playing on Hastings High’s new baseball team this spring.
Although it takes a rare combination of athleticism, determination, and heart, HHS has many student-athletes competing their best for the school all year round.
