Too much commitment in High School sports, Part 2

I previously blogged about too much commitment in high school sports and I felt the need to add onto that. Recently, I have noticed the commitment becoming even more overwhelming, to the point where I have considered quitting.

This previous week I was trying to finish a last minute story for our upcoming issue of the school’s newsmagazine.  On top of all of that I was sick, with a 101 degree fever. I knew that there would be no way for me to make it into practice that night, so I dragged my butt down to the pool deck to tell my coach. My coach was not thrilled, to say the least, but how is that fair? Should I feel guilty for being sick and having school work? That is sad for me to think that I am getting looked at negatively for missing one practice due to illness. It doesn’t quite seem fair.

Another thing that really bothers me about the commitment to high school sports is the lack of family time. My mom returned from a two-week vacation to Europe not too long ago, but I feel like I haven’t seen her at all. By the time I get home from swim practice then finish my homework, it is typically 9:30 at night, at the earliest. My mom goes to bed early so I don’t get to sit down and talk with her or even ask for homework help. It makes me sad. I want to have family time but everyone else’s lives don’t stop because I’m in swim season.

The final thing that REALLY gets to me about being in high school sports is not being able to be home. This may sound stupid but I get extremely homesick when I’m in swim season. I often find myself in class or in practice dreaming about going home; not because school is awful or practices are hard (but they are) but because I just miss going home. Home is where my family is. I can’t remember the last time I’ve gotten to take my dogs for a walk or take a study break to talk with my parents. For me, those are the things that get me through the day and I feel like swim team takes that away from me.

So once again, I think that we are dedicating too much time to high school sports, and for what? A letter that gets stored in a box after graduation and gets pulled out 20 years from now. Is it worth it? I often find myself wondering if it is.