We’ve all seen the articles. We all know this is a new concept that experts are pushing parents and athletes to embrace.
You should play multiple sports. This concept sounds simple and easy, but that is just not the case coming from someone who has lived it.
I would like to point out that your situation could be completely different and maybe you have had pleasant experiences playing multiple sports. I’m just here to tell you sometimes that is not the case.
Playing multiple sports when you are in elementary school, and even middle school, is less complicated because at those points in an athletic career, the athlete is not focused on the end goal of playing in college and/or pro, they are playing for fun and they are playing the sports with equal time and do not have a concentration on just one.
However, once you hit high school, things start to change.
With how colleges are starting to recruit so early nowadays in specific sports, it is so hard to continue to play all the sports you are playing and not have a concentration on one specific one.
My freshman year of high school I had to choose.
I wanted to play a sport in college at the Division One level and at that point in my athletic career, my best chance at achieving this would be pursuing softball. The problem was, I was not ready to give up soccer.
“Oh, you don’t need to give up soccer. Just play the high school season in the fall and then focus on softball in the winter, spring, and summer.”
Yeah...Right.
The issue I’m trying to get at is you are going to make sacrifices and you are going to let people, teammates, and coaches down. I missed 5 high school soccer games because I had to go to showcase softball tournaments in the fall.
The punishment for missing 5 games? Sitting out 5 more. That means one less person on your bench. One less pair of fresh legs. One less loud vocal voice to be heard. One less leader on the field (my senior year). One less teammate you can count on.
The punishment for skipping the softball tournament and going to the soccer games?
Missing out on great exposure opportunities for playing college softball, the thing that I wanted to do the most.
It’s give and take.
Now, obviously I did play two sports in high school. And obviously I survived and I’m fine and thriving. But looking back on it now, I let my high school soccer team down on numerous occasions because of my choice to make softball my number one priority. If I had to do it over again, I would focus on one sport, to invest my time in one thing, and not put myself in a position to let people down.
I’m not discouraging you to not play multiple sports, I’m just making a point that there comes a time when you have to decide what’s more important, and what’s best for you. But you also have to realize the commitments you have made.
All the research about this topic is very positive, such as things like limiting overuse of muscles and less likely to burn-out, but I am voicing my opinion with a different angle of approach.
If you can play more than one sport in high school without a conflict, good for you. The stars have aligned and you are lucky you didn’t have to chose. I, along with many people I know, unfortunately have had conflicts.
Letting people down, especially my teammates, wasn’t my idea of fun.
