The 1970’s faced a shift in sports. What once was a favorite, fun pass-time became a competitive win-based activity for only the elite (David, 1998, pp. 36-45). Waking up at 6:00 a.m. for early bird, followed by seven hours of school, track practice, volleyball open gym, and a few mundane hours of homework is the norm for the student athletes at Bellevue High School (BHS). This excessive workload not only results in physical stress, but mental suffering based on pressure and expectations of these students. The Bellevue High School Athletic Board must find an alternative solution to the upkeep of student athleticism, so student athletes do not suffer physical detriment, psychological consequences, eating disorders, drug issues, or the dreaded athletic burnout.
Physical Detriment
In 1997,…show more content… David Wright, Bellevue High School’s Activities Director, he began by commenting he does believe athletes are being stretched thin, and the system needs to be modified. Mr. Wright said, “It is hard to find the proper place to draw the line.” This frequently happens in team sports because there are some members who do not participate in any other sports and solely want to work on getting better in one area. Coaches may also be unaware of when other sports are practicing, so it leads to an over-scheduling issue (Personal Communication, 2 May 2017).
A total of 54 Bellevue High School freshmen and sophomores took a Sports Survey conducted by Tabitha Williamson, which concluded of the students involved in sports, nearly 20% said they always felt overwhelmed, and 55% said they sometimes feel overwhelmed. 22% of the students in sports who took the survey felt pressured to join or participate in the sports, and 42% felt as though they were sometimes pressured to join the sport. The survey concluded 54.4% of students spend between eight to twelve hours at school every day, and 82.6% work on homework for one to two hours once home (Survey, 3 May
