At Los Osos High School, there are so many options of sports, clubs and extracurriculars. So many to choose from and be a part of. More than half of our school is involved in extra activities like this. And although they are fun and open a lot of opportunities for the future, and for college, there are many cons that come with participating in them.
Especially for sports. Sports like soccer and basketball were recently not given a 6th period to replace the involved students’ Physical Education class. Many students, me included, were not aware of this new change until they had already committed to the team. As a lot of people have older siblings and even parents that have been in highschool, who have always experienced the rule that there is to be a 6th period for sports like those. So a lot of us expected it to be the same, as it has been for many years. But due to some unknown reason, the past couple years have been taking away the 6th period for certain sports.
Some people have heard that it was the coaches that could not be on campus during the 6th period time. But if you ask the coaches, they say that they are able to be there, and they do not know why we are unable to have a 6th period.
The fact that sports like this are held only after-school, means that the sports go on for later than they would have if they had cut into school hours. Us student athletes get home later, and still have the same amount of homework as we would without sports, and much less time to do it. Most of us end up going to sleep late, which can affect our academic performance.
A freshman on the Frosh Girls Soccer Team said when interviewed, “I was confused when I found out that there wasn’t going to be a 6th period P.E., because I had initially assumed that every sport would replace their P.E.” She also says how she tries to deal with having homework and getting home late, “Since I get home late, I try to do my homework in a class I don’t have much to do in, or I have to ask my friends for help with it.”
Another Freshman, Rosalie Pavia, on the JV Girls Basketball Team said, “I handle my homework when getting home late by trying to finish as much as I can in class. When I do have a large amount of homework, I just put on my headphones and hope that I finish it before 11:00pm.” The recommended bed-time for students around 15-years-old is from 9:00 to 10:00. Rosalie says how by having her sports go late, she can only hope to get to bed around 11:00.
Having this later schedule can really impact students’ ability to perform well in school. Especially since students with sports tend to be more tired with all the physical activity. Another con of not having the 6th period sports in that, for freshman and sophomores, they still have to do P.E., which just adds even more physical activity onto the pile.
Clubs, like sports, can also cause students to get home later than just going straight there. A lot of clubs have kids go to meetings after-school. And a lot of them also have work added on like projects and assignments. This can add to the amount of normal assignments from regular classes. This, and the going-home-later can impact students’ stress levels.
Even though there are many cons like these that come from participating in extra-activities, a lot of people still choose to do them, and enjoy them. But these are definitely things to think about and ask questions about, before fully committing to something. But in the end, it’s yours to decide: Is it worth it?