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Sports
Stress
by Emma Smith, Staff Writer
Today teen athletes are forced to deal with many different kinds of
pressure. The stress of school work as well as participating in
multiple sports can become overwhelming. Some athletes feel forced
to choose between two sports they feel passionately about because
their grades are suffering. Some athletes simply try to do too
much. According to baseball-playing and basketball-playing junior,
Jonathan Aceves, some of his teammates practice every day. "They end
up just getting bored of it and quit." The pressure of peer
competition also weighs on the athlete's mind. Balancing school,
sports, and personal life can seem nearly impossible and can cause
feelings of hopelessness and frustration. Melanie Palmer, a junior
that plays volleyball, agrees with this. "Basically school and
sports [that's] my life." She also says that if you don't truly love
your sport, "it's not worth it. You end up becoming really
depressed." This is especially true for those making the transition
to high school and for those getting ready to leave. For freshmen,
the added confusion of being in a new school and adjusting to a new
schedule can send people over the edge. For juniors and seniors
preparing for college, there is the added pressure of competing for
sports scholarships and meeting college requirements for classes
that you must take. Some teen athletes feel that the expectations
others have set for them are too high. They simply cannot keep up.
Teen athletes can experience
emotional pressure, but that is not the only kind of stress that
they have to deal with. Their bodies have to work through added
problems. Teens may have two practices a day for two different
sports. These practices may last a few hours and occur several times
a week. This results in a feeling of weariness. Palmer says, "You're
just tired all the time." According to the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, sports-related injuries are the leading
cause of emergency room visits for teens. Teen athletes are injured
at about the same rate as adult athletes. However unlike adults,
teenagers have not completely finished growing and developing. This
means that their bodies are more susceptible to different types of
injuries. A simple bruise for an adult can be a much more serious
injury for a teen athlete. Most injuries that are sustained are
related to overuse or repetitive stress. They also often deal with
the growth plates in a teen's shoulders, knees, and ankles. If an
athlete plays multiple sports, the chances of injury are almost
doubled.
Athletic teens deal with quite a bit
of emotional and physical stress on a weekly basis.
However, there are ways to prevent
both an injury and a meltdown. Athletes and students with any
extracurricular activities need to develop their time management
skills to juggle practice, homework, chores, and other activities
they deem important. In order to prevent an injury, athletes should
stretch and get plenty of rest. If they feel any kind of pain they
should seek advice from their coach to ensure that there is no
damage. Developing good fundamentals, form, and being in shape can
also reduce the risk of injury. This may appear to be a lot of work
but many athletes find that it is worth it. In the words of Coach
Shevlin, “To play sports is to have fun, to have fun you must work
hard, to work hard is to be successful.”
So, here's to a healthy, successful,
and injury-free year for all of our El Segundo High teams. We wish
them the best of luck both on the field and in their daily lives.
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