Student athletes are constantly under pressure. Between their sport, other activities and their schoolwork, it can be hard enough to find any time to relax. This requires many student athletes to have better time management and be more perseverant than others — but that comes at a cost.

A majority of what student athletes feel comes from pushing themselves to perform well. According to the Center for Sports Leadership and Learning, 70% of youth athletes quit their sport by the age of 13 because it becomes less fun, and more serious.

It is important for stress and burnout to be identified in athletes before it becomes a bigger problem. To combat this, the athletic department at MCHS has worked closely with teachers, counselors and families to give them the tools to look out for these traits in their students.

“Time management can be difficult,” counselor Nicole Bacigalupo says, “especially when students are engaging in rigorous classes that require daily assignments that need to be completed at home.”

Students must be passing five classes in order to continue playing, and while this may not be a problem for many freshman and sophomore athletes, it gets more difficult for junior and senior athletes. As high school goes on, the workload increases significantly, which can get in the way of doing not only sports but other clubs as well.

“With cross country you’ve got practice six days a week,” an anonymous ex-cross country athlete says, “which really wasn’t an issue my first two years, like sophomore and freshman year, but this year, I currently have two jobs, not to mention … I think I’m enrolled in like, four or five clubs.”

Many sports want the athletes to prioritize going to practice over other clubs, and while this makes sense, it can be limiting for many athletes that want to branch out and try other clubs.

“You just don’t get to do many other activities,” cross country athlete Nate Martin says, “like, I do BPA. It’s a bit more difficult to participate in other activities, but you’re still able to. It’s just a little bit more stressful.”

Much of the ability for students to explore other activities depends on the sport that they’re in, and their ability to make time for both.

Cheerleader Kendal Rogers says that she doesn’t find it difficult to make time for activities outside of her sport because of her time management skills, but other students without those skills often have a hard time doing the same.

“Programs like mental performance workshops and leadership development sessions can help athletes build resilience and perspective,” Athletic Director Chris Madson says.

Student athletes want to do well, and normalizing the stress that comes from this can help them be more open when they feel overwhelmed. But until this becomes a standard place for discussion, it is important that those around these athletes look out for them — especially their coaches.

“Coaches are some of the most influential adults in a student’s life,” Madson says. “Training them to recognize signs of burnout or anxiety, and giving them strategies to respond, makes a huge difference.”

When athletes have the tools to succeed, their sport can give them skills that no classroom ever would. Coaches are working to shorten practices when they can to give students more downtime, which in the long run can have a great impact.