Physical education is quite self-explanatory: it educates us to keep ourselves in good condition, yet does not keep us very active compared to sports. It is a hands-on class that introduces students to many sports and provides methods to stay healthy and active such as common workouts and yoga instruction. Although P.E. is a graduation requirement, many high school athletes believe that they should be exempt from gym class because they are already active enough and believe that it’s pointless to take the class.
While athletes perform a tremendous amount of physical activity and any physical activity performed outside of their sport poses a risk for injury, education and activity are wholly different, so the class is still beneficial. Unfortunately, gym class takes the place of a study hall which is much needed for high school athletes as they do have long practices and competitions spanning multiple hours after school. It becomes very difficult for them to complete their homework afterwards without having to go to sleep at an outrageously late hour. Even if a student does not receive too much homework, gym class takes over a free period. That free period could be used on a fine arts or technology class, both of which are graduation requirements.
However, a wonderful solution to this dilemma exists-summer gym. Summer gym is the alternative to taking gym class during the year, freeing up one period in a semester to make room for an elective or study hall. The class is very convenient for everyone enrolled, but not everybody who signs up for summer gym gets into it as there is a very limited amount of spots available, and they go quickly.
A great compromise for athletes would be priority placement into summer gym or an alternative class for athletes who want to take gym only during the summer. This would balance academics with athletics and the resulting study hall is appreciated. There is a quick and simple fix to athletes’ time crunches during the year. All athletes should still need to take a gym class because receiving an education, even physical education, is equally as important as participating in athletics.