Over the years, student athletes join and leave particular sports for individual reasons. These students and their coaches share their experiences of leaving their respective sport.
According to a survey from ESPN, 36% of girls and 26% of boys quit a sport in order to focus on their grades.
Junior Oscar Beltran quit football after his freshman year to focus on schoolwork when he could not find a balance between football and his responsibilities.
“There’s lots of reasons for it, but a main part of it was grades,” Beltran said. “I didn’t go to the summer practices because I was busy. I wanted to stay, but I wouldn’t be able to play that much.”
However, a busy schedule is not the only deterrent. The Institute for the Study of Youth Sports at Michigan State University states the leading reason for leaving a sport is loss of interest. Students may find a better sport to play, or simply discover they are not as fond of a sport as they expected.
Finding herself in this situation, Senior Karlly Feng quit tennis. Joining track and field in addition to tennis her freshman year, she discovered pole vaulting and realized her true calling. By focusing on vaulting, Feng now ranks in the top 30 in the entire state.
“I found that I had more potential for pole vault than I did for tennis, so I decided to focus on pole vault,” Feng said. “I initially wanted to continue tennis, but I decided I wanted to try to get recruited for pole vault, so I decided to go all in.”
On top of losing interest in a sport, athletes may find that a sport becomes too challenging as the season progresses. If students feel they have a lack of skill or commitment, they may be dissuaded from continuing, especially those who are still new to the sport.
“It’s tough to go out and do the same thing,” Cross Country Coach Mike Tomasulo said. “They can’t put in the discipline they need. I’d say 10% left because some were new and didn’t quite know what they were getting into, or were older members who just weren’t interested anymore.”