Joe SchlessingerReporter

Like most students, sopho-more Jacob Schwartz, a three-sport athlete, gets out of school at 2:05 p.m. He then runs cross-country for two and half hours. After jogging for six miles at practice, Jacob goes home, arriv-ing at around 5:40 p.m. He show-ers, eats his dinner, and does homework until roughly 8:30 p.m. Why would he sign up for this intense day? “I play sports because they are fun and you get to be with your friends. It’s a

good way to get your energy out after school,” Schwartz said.

Many students who play a sport follow a similar, jam-packed schedule. The time com-mitments may vary slightly, but the majority of sports offered at Westhill last for several hours afterschool. Boys can choose from soccer, football, cross country, swimming, basketball, ice hockey, wrestling, indoor track, golf, outdoor track, tennis, and baseball. Girls are offered cross country, field hockey, soc-cer, swimming and diving, vol-leyball, gymnastics, basketball,

ice hockey, indoor track, tennis, golf, softball, and outdoor track.

Hundreds of student athletes do not get home until 6:00 p.m. because of games and practices. Most teams practice two to three hours per day, roughly six times a week, even on Saturdays and some holidays.

“Being on the team is a huge commitment. It takes a lot of time and practices are almost every day and usually three hours. You can expect to get home at around 7:00 p.m. after an away game. Overall, it is very important for student athletes to manage their

time,” varsity baseball coach Mr. Mulvany said.

“I have to manage my time wisely. Not having any time can [be motivating]. I keep up with everything by staying organized, paying attention in class, and getting sleep,” junior Stephanie Roones, a three-season varsity athelte, said.

Most athletes, like Roones, will tell you that this commitment is easy, and that having practices for three hours every day is not a big deal because they enjoy it. That is a main reason why stu-dents choose to play sports while

juggling academics. While a few students will claim that they play a sport to stay in shape, qualify for a scholarship, or keep busy, most people play sports for the fun of it.

After a long day of school, it is nice to relieve stress by play-ing a game with friends. There are a lot of conditions to playing a sport that are not ideal, such as hectic schedules, chronic fatigue, mandatory dressing up on game days, and early curfews. How-ever, the benefits outweigh these conditions, and most student ath-letes love their sport!

25SupplementOctOber 2012

By the end of your after school activitIes you are exhausted but fulfilled. As you arrive home after a long day, you realize that you still have room in your busy schedule for one more activity. You realize that it would be a smart choice to begin to build your resume

as early as possible. The best way to do this is by applying for work or volunteering. Which do you choose?

Westhill employs o

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You chose to play a sport!

FAST FACTS 18 Different sports at Westhill About 800 student athletes at Westhill About 583 hours of practice a week 70-80 Coaches

Every day after school hundreds of Westhill students flock to the fields and gyms to improve on their athletic skills. Students run drills and scrimmage for countless hours each week to ensure the success of their teams and even have fun while doing it . Both coaches and players have their reasons for playing sports, but most just do it because they love it.

If you decide to volunteer, go to page 27

If you decide to get a job, go to page 27

Photo Illustration by Laura Rey / Photo Manager