Pros and Cons of Being a Multisport Athlete

Being a multisport athlete can have many pros and cons. It can lead to an increased amount of opportunities after high school, such as a college scholarship and even a professional sports contract. With that being said, athletes have to balance all of their school work and social life, while balancing their practices and games.

One thing that is overlooked when dealing with sports is nutrition. It is one of the most important parts of staying fit and making sure you excel in your sport.Juan Torres, who plays soccer, runs track and cross country, is a multisport athlete at FCHS. Torres has a daily nutrition plan to keep him ready for his sports. For breakfast he enjoys protein pancakes, for lunch he has a chicken sandwich, and he ends with chicken and rice for dinner. As you can see, he bases his meals around protein and carbs, which provide him with long lasting and efficient energy.

Zach Butler, who plays baseball, runs track and cross country, feels that one of the pros of playing multiple sports is that one sport can complement the other. Butler said, “ Track helps with baseball by allowing for faster twitches in my muscle fibers that relate to baseballs’ quick and precise movements while on the field, playing catcher, and in the batter’s box.” This is a big motivation for student athletes to play more than one sport. Having just a little faster throw or harder kick, could be the difference between getting that contract and not.

Arguably, the hardest part about being a student athlete is balancing sports with school. Cole Weisenburger, plays lacrosse, runs track and cross country. Weisenburger said that his strategy for staying up to date with school work is writing the dates of his quizzes and races in his phone, so he doesn’t have to worry about missing one or the other. Keeping your school work organized can prevent unnecessary stress.

How can you successfully juggle school and sports ? Weisenburger suggests that maximizing your time in class can be very helpful. “ I make sure to do most of my studying in class so I don’t have to do it at home.” This is a very popular strategy among all athletes. Another way to complete this is to focus on one class at a time.

Playing multiple sports can be a great outlet for new opportunities. At the end of the day is it really worth it ? Zach Butler said “ It is 100% worth it because it gives me a set period of time to distress and be with friends. That then allows me to focus harder on my studies with a cleaner mental state.”