Tracy Lockwood, B. Ed, M.Ed

Playing multiple sports in high school is a good thing. Some of the best pros in the world didn’t specialize in high school. Being well-rounded is important. Student council, music, arts, working a job.. Do many things in high school to build a well-rounded foundation for your future. Operating within multiple social circles = growth. If you play baseball and are on the debate team you will be a part of two distinct cultures. If you play football and basketball you will progress in a multitude of ways based on the different roles you play on each team, the different styles of coaching, and the culture of each program. Maybe you are all-conference in volleyball but a backup in basketball which you worked equally as hard in. This will teach you a lot about discipline, being a great teammate, role acceptance, and leadership. Adding a part-time job to your schedule in high school is another great way to become well-rounded and create a foundation for the future. It will teach you how to answer to authority, how to work with others, customer service, how to stand up for yourself, money management and more. Diversity in activities and social circles is important. It can be a generational talent like Aaron Judge playing three sports. It can look like a kid at a large school who participates in one sport, one non-sport extracurricular, and works part time. It can be the small school kid who does everything and still helps out with the family business. It’s important for high school students to load up on activities which stimulate personal, academic, and future growth and avoid spending countless hours staring at screens playing video games, scrolling on TikTok, and watching TV.