BY DR. KARISSA NIEHOFF
NFHS
There has been an ongoing debate for many years regarding the advantages or disadvantages of focusing on one sport during teenage and high school years vs. playing a number of different sports.
Some people have argued that to be successful in a particular sport at the college level requires a person to devote all energy to that sport throughout high school. While this approach may work for some, an ever-increasing majority of athletes believe playing multiple sports leads to more success – on the athletic front and careers outside sports as well.
And recent events would substantiate that viewpoint regardless of age. Athletes who competed in high school sports many years ago, as well as current and recent participants, have similar views.
All four former high school athletes who were inducted into the NFHS National High School Hall of Fame this summer played multiple sports in high school.
Anna Maria Lopez participated in volleyball, basketball, and track and field at St. Mary’s Academy in Portland, Oregon, before excelling at volleyball at the University of Southern California. Caryn Schoff-Kovatch, the leading scorer in New York high school girls basketball history at St. Johnsville High School, also was all-league in soccer and softball.
Tim Dwight was a standout football and track athlete at City High School in Iowa City, Iowa, before his stellar college and professional careers. And Prince Amukamara played football, basketball, and track and field at Apollo High School in Glendale, Arizona, before his 11-year NFL career.
“I think it is truly beneficial to play multiple sports,” Amukamara said. “I was just a natural-born competitor, and I felt like I was good at a lot of things, so I never thought the one-sport mindset was for me. Growing up, I was so thankful for a program out here in Arizona called GRASP (Glendale Recreation After School Program). They really encouraged us to do a lot of sports. I was pretty good at a lot of sports, and I loved competing, so I tried them all.”
In the recent NFL Draft, 222 of the 253 athletes (88 percent) who were drafted participated in multiple sports in high school. Miami quarterback Cam Ward, the No. 1 selection, played basketball and football at Columbia High School in Texas. Other first-rounders who excelled at multiple sports included Tyler Warren, tight end from Penn State who played football, basketball and baseball at Atlee High School in Mechanicsville, Virginia, and Jaxson Dart, University of Mississippi quarterback who played football and baseball in Draper, Utah.
Emeka Egbuka, wide receiver from Ohio State, played football and baseball at Steilacoom High School in Washington and credits baseball as a contributing factor to his athleticism.
More recently, similar stories of playing multiple sports were shared at the NFHS National Student Leadership Summit held last week in Indianapolis. During one of the general sessions, more than 90 percent of the 211 attendees, all of whom were junior or seniors currently involved in high school sports or other activity programs, indicated they currently were participating in multiple sports.
Playing multiple sports in high school is truly a winning formula. In addition to enhancing chances for a college scholarship and playing a sport at the highest level, there are innumerable benefits for the 95 percent of high school athletes who will not play at higher levels.
Multiple-sport participants have a reduced risk of overuse injuries, are able to learn from multiple coaches, participate in cross-training which leads to better athleticism, have better mental development and teamwork skills, and have a reduced chance of burnout in sports. Further, students can enjoy multiple activities concurrently, such as participation on a sports team while also belonging to a performing arts group.
It is incumbent on coaches, administrators and state associations to pave the way for students to be involved in multiple sports – and other activity programs. Many have done a great job at opening these doors, including Jane Berry-Eddings, longtime speech and debate coach at Sprague High School in Salem, Oregon, who was inducted into the National High School Hall of Fame earlier this summer.
“I’ve had students who were drum majors and students who were on the track and cross country teams, and I’ve had football players and basketball players who were involved in speech and debate,” said Berry-Eddings. “I’ve always encouraged them to look at their schedule and pick what they wanted to do. I wanted students to explore all the wonderful opportunities out there because if they didn’t take a chance and try one, they might miss something they would love. I tried to never put a student in a position where they had to choose between one activity they loved and another activity they loved. We can make it work.”
NFHS member state associations continue to add more sport offerings, which make it possible for more students to be involved in a sport or activity of their choosing. Most recently, the Hawaii High School Athletic Association added its 21st sport – surfing – to its offerings of state championships.
According to the most recent data from the NFHS Handbook, the New Hampshire Interscholastic Athletic Association leads the way with 23 sports, followed by the California Interscholastic Federation and Vermont Principals’ Association with 22. In addition to Hawaii, state associations in Illinois, Connecticut and Massachusetts also offer 21 sports.
Whether the goal is to participate in high school sports and activities to have fun with their peers, or to achieve a college athletic scholarship, or to be a lifelong participant, the best route to achieving a successful, healthy balance in life is to participate in multiple sports and other activities.