COVINGTON TWP, Pa., Nov. 1, 2024 – Student-athletes are some of the most hard-working individuals in any school district. Every day they must balance heavy loads of school work with training and practice for their respective sport. These people will go to extraordinary lengths to prepare themselves for their matches, meets, or games, but sometimes they seem out of it and tired for seemingly no reason. The answer, some believe, may lie in a class: Physical Education.
Although gym class is not the most extreme activity in the world, the physicality of some of the activities can be potentially tiring for athletes. Some sports are affected worse than others by performing tasks in gym class, such as football and running. “Gym could be optional for student-athletes,” said North Pocono alumni Luis Morales. Luis, who played sports throughout his entire high school career, elaborated by saying, “If they choose not to take gym, then it could be replaced with more study hall periods.”
Mr. Joseph Vitali stated that he can see the argument on both sides. “Athletes that are in season are definitely getting enough exercise… However, I am a big believer in the social aspect of Phys. Ed.” He believes that being social is one of the biggest things that students need to be exposed to. “Something I would be interested in is to get an athlete Phys. Ed. class,” Vitali mentioned when discussing how to come up with a compromise to the argument. The class would feature preparation for each sport’s practices and games, and training in the offseason. The coaches could also provide workouts for the student-athletes to complete in the 50 minute period.
Although the school district has not acted on the situation, there are many great ideas floating around to help student-athletes stay on top of their respective sports while also getting the proper physical education and not being overworked. Creating an alternative to gym class for athletes is something that students will need to come together and rally for, but it is still something that could very easily be in the works and come to fruition sooner rather than later.
