Imagine working so hard to get onto a high school sports team, making it, but then not being able to practice with the team. Unfortunately, this is the reality for freshman and sophomore athletes at La Jolla High. This issue is directly affecting athletes in the current fall sports season and will continue to affect many others throughout the school year.
Sophomore tennis player Anastasia Volkov says, “I have to skip my English class most days for practice and skip practice for tests. I have to do all the classwork and homework for my English class at home.” This clearly threatens her grades and holds her back from fully participating on the tennis team. Furthermore, freshman cross-country athlete Colin Crowder says, “It has forced our coaches and the rest of our team to practice after school later than we should be.” He adds, “On the contrary, fifth period PE has been a study hall for me, and I’ve been able to get a lot of my homework done, but some of the kids take advantage of it.” Although the majority of students have experienced negative effects from the lack of 6th-period PE, Crowder highlights the fact that some students are able to use their PE period to get work done. Overall, athletes are affected differently by seemingly arbitrary standards.
This issue will return during the winter and spring sports seasons as countless more athletes will face the decision to either miss class or their sports practice. Clearly, it is necessary for people to be aware of this issue and for further steps to be taken on behalf of these struggling students.