High school athletes are put under intense stress during the school year. Between the schoolwork given and the active sports seasons, athletes could be susceptible to burnout during the year. Athletes competing in three sports during the school year particularly have an immense workload with little to no time off. Additionally, athletes are divided into baseball or softball and track, meaning teams may be split or feel incomplete compared to the earlier seasons. This poses the question: are three-sport athletes not giving full effort or burned out by spring?”
Spring sports mark the beginning of the final sports season of the school year, meaning some athletes may have already been competing for six months with only short breaks between seasons. Senior baseball player Aidan Uppena adds, “We don't get much time off, but we understand that seasons run on a schedule and need to start when they do.”
Athletes participating in spring sports are also divided among track and baseball or softball, meaning teams may feel incomplete compared to fall and winter seasons, where all athletes compete as teammates, because there are only two sports in fall and winter. However, many athletes who participate in spring sports don't participate in others, making up for this difference. “It is hard not having some athletes because they choose to do a different sport; however, in every sport we don't get all the athletes at school playing, because oftentimes athletes only go out for one or two sports,” says senior Jaxon Oyen.
Unique to the spring season of athletics is the impending end of the school year. While schoolwork and learning are winding down for the year and students get to relax more in school, they still have to bring the same intense energy for their sport, which can be challenging. Athletes must not bring the lackadaisical energy from school winding down with them onto the field. Playoffs often even go into summer, meaning athletes have their entire daily routine removed, but still have to perform competitively. With these hardships that are unique to spring athletics, athletes must remain focused to compete to the best of their ability.