Being an athlete takes a lot of hard work, responsibility and dedication to the team and academics. Some athletes are dedicated to the game, while other athletes are not as dedicated, but make decisions that will impact the team inside and outside of the sport.

Iron athletes dedicate their time to sports all year. Getting the title of an iron athlete takes a lot of hard work and time to accomplish. Many athletes do three sports in one year, but cannot keep up with it every year. The commitment of sports comes with many challenges; athletes have to balance their education and social life. Getting home late from games and practices leaves them with less time to focus on school work, which also means getting less sleep. Some athletes have one main sport that they focus on, and they play other sports for fun or to stay in shape. Eventually, for some athletes, the title of becoming an “iron athlete” is just something they feel like they have to do to feel accomplished. Going through the motions to become an iron athlete is not something easy. Athletes have to be 100 percent committed the whole school year, which may be difficult to manage all the time.

“I started off enjoying the sports I play, but as the years went on, it became more of something I had to do to feel accomplished,” senior Rebecca Cleven said. “I feel proud of myself for being an iron athlete because it is hard to have time for both school and sports, but I managed to do it.”

Similar to the iron athlete, some athletes participate in two or three sports because of suspension. These athletes play in order to get rid of their suspension that resulted from past events. Some athletes who receive suspension make the choice to play another sport in a different season instead of sitting out of their main sport. In most cases, these athletes do not care as much about the sport that they are participating in to get rid of their suspension, so they can play the sport they love. Most athletes go through the motions because they have to in order to play what they want; some athletes find their way around the suspension and sometimes these athletes even end up enjoying the sport. Even with playing another sport to not miss their favorite sport, they must be careful because another suspension leads to missing many more games or even getting kicked off the team. Athletes who receive drug or alcohol suspensions not only affect themselves and their reputation as an athlete, but their team as well. It can change the outlook that the team has on them. Coaches and teammates may not see the athlete as being as dedicated and committed to the team as others.

“It is unfair to the athletes who play fall sports because they cannot choose a different sport to work off their suspension, while others can play a sport that they do not care about,” a senior at Antioch Community High School, who wishes to remain anonymous, said.  “Playing a different sport to get out of suspension was a fun experience, but it was hard to adjust to the new sport.”

Many athletes have a busy schedule as a student and an athlete. Junior and senior Varsity-level athletes have the opportunity during their season to be exempt from their physical education class. This is an opportunity for the athlete to get their homework done in a study hall. This helps many athletes stay on top of their grades and help them with their time management. Instead of getting exempt, some athletes choose to become a physical education leader. This is also an opportunity for the athlete to partake in a gym class, but still be a leader for all the students in the class. It makes things easier for athletes to be able to have a variety of choices of what they want for PE. Although, there are some athletes that are not serious about a sport and only play to get exempt because they do not like physical education class.

“I think being exempt from gym gave me a lot of time to focus on cross country and gave me more energy for practice,” senior Hailey Hall said. “I got so much done in study hall, it made life so much easier.”

There are some athletes who do not take sports as seriously as other athletes. Some participate just for fun, while some practice all year round and plan on playing in college. The athletes that do not take it very seriously are there to make friends or to be part of a winning team. Playing a sport where winning does not always matter is nice because there is not as much pressure on the athlete. For some sports, seniors have the choice to get pulled up to Varsity where they will not get much playing time or to stay on JV where they will play every game. If they do not want to get better, then they will not challenge themselves.

Sports also give people many friendships and show people what it is really like to be a part of a team. Some athletes do not mind not getting playing time and just being on the team satisfies them enough. Sports give the perfect opportunity to meet new people and make friendships that will last a lifetime.

Opposite from the athletes who play for fun, some are very serious about their sport. Most athletes work hard to get their spot on the team, but other athletes who are already starters sometimes take advantage of their spot on the team. When it comes to practicing and becoming better, starters can get lazy knowing they are already going to play. Slacking during practice is not fair to teammates and will not allow the athlete to get better or help the team get better for games. Many people go by the phrase “you practice how you play,” which is always important to remember.  When the rest of the team is working hard to better themselves or try to get a spot as a starter, sometimes the starter is not putting in as much effort. Everyone who has played a team sport knows a person who has not tried as hard during practice, but still starts. The rest of the team may not like it and question why the starters still get to start. Confident starters go through the motions because they know they already have a spot.

“At a small school, kids get their spots, and they know that there’s not many people with the same amount of talent behind them so they get complacent sometimes and they won’t work as hard knowing that no one is behind them to take their spot,” soccer coach and physical education teacher Marni Polakow said. “Sometimes a big school with many athletes with the same talent can give them the kick in the butt that they need.”

Sports are a big part of high school for many student athletes. They can help prepare them for their future by teaching them commitment, dedication, responsibility and how to be a part of a team. No matter what kind of athlete they are, high school sports and a team will give athletes lifelong memories and lessons learned.