How Students Feel About Hillgrove High School Sports By: Priscila Roque

Hillgrove High School is best known for their sports teams. The football team ranking number nine in the MaxPreps Georgia Division. With football season ending in November, and Soccer season starting around January, sports are always the main topic in the halls. Although some students prefer to stay at home, majority of the students at Hillgrove enjoy attending games and going to support their peers. The website, “Stingerehs” states, “High school American football is one of the most socially significant sports in high school. Since the day it was created, fans have piled into the small stadiums to watch their classmates play against their rivals. " Students enjoy watching in suspense as their friends and fellow classmates represent Hillgrove on the field, but they do not understand the depth of playing a sport. 

When playing a sport, all the pressure comes along with it. Responsibility is required on and off the field, so how do players feel? Joel Thompson, a Junior who plays for Hillgrove High Schools’ boys soccer team explains, “A lot of the time, after practice or whatever, I'll make sure I finish my homework that same night, or I'll wake up early and try to get it finished the day after.” Students can struggle with staying on track with schoolwork while handling their sport at the same time. Scheduled practice can collide with studying for a test or turning an assignment in before a certain deadline, so it is important to find the right times to do your work. 

When trying to balance athletics and school at the same time, it can lead to stress and can have a negative impact on and off the field. The website, “Amplifying performance,” claims, “The daily pressures of student athletes are multifaceted. They include rigorous training schedules, intense competitive stress, and maintaining high academic standards—not to mention managing a social life! All with limited time for each." Haven Barry, a sophomore who also plays on Hillgrove High Schools’ soccer team describes how she deals with the emotions catching up to her on the field, she says, “Normally, if it's like in the moment, we take a step back and then later we'll talk about it in like a calm conversation and work through it.” With a solution like this, it helps minimize the risk of arguments or altercation occurring during a game. Allowing players to take time and think, then working together once they have settled down. 

It is important to be mindful of what being a part of sports can include. Although it looks easy going and normal from the bleachers, the way the students feel as they play is more complicated than it looks. Each person’s experience is different from one another, whether it is positive or negative, there is different opinions on how students feel about high school sports.