2nd Team: Austin Nagy, North Raleigh Christian Academy
Jul 29, 2010
AP courses, sports, college applications, extracurriculars…the list of activities most high school students participate in could easily fill up a page. At one point, a student’s list might be dominated by many different sports; but nowadays many student-athletes face pressure to focus on one sport to secure a college scholarship.
David Green, head football coach at Leesville Road High School, says he notices athletes can be pulled in many directions. They consider advice from parents, coaches and others to try and decide if it’s best to pursue one or multiple sports. It was once more common for high school boys to be more focused on just one sport, but Green has noticed more girls following suit and choosing one specialty. Green hopes athletes will consider outside advice but feel comfortable making their own decision about how many sports to play.
“They reach a point where they’ll have to reconsider their priorities…time management does get to be an issue,” says Green.
It’s difficult for student athletes to play three sports at once, for example, but the balance can be advantageous. Many Leesville football players also run track or play basketball which can boost their speed and make them more competitive. However, Green says he doesn’t see much of a difference in athletic ability between the athletes that play multiple sports and those who specialize in just one. Regardless of the individual athlete’s choice, Leesville coaches try to be flexible with each student’s schedule.
Echoing Green’s open view towards whether or not it’s best to play one sport or several is Rik Seymour, CEO of Hoops City U, a training program for basketball players. Seymour is also coach for the boys’ varsity basketball team at North Raleigh Christian Academy.
“I don’t think there’s any one answer…you have to take into consideration the goals of that specific athlete,” says Seymour.
Often the decision on how many sports to play depends on an athlete’s goals. If student athletes want to play in college, Seymour suggests they focus on one sport. But if a student is simply hoping to be a great athlete, it may be easier to achieve that by dividing time amongst several athletic pursuits. Whatever they decide, there are several vital aspects to training that every athlete should address.
“Speed, agility and core development influences almost every aspect of their game,” Seymour said.
Ryan Mangum plays safety on defense for his Leesville football team, and he runs track. He has had to make the choice between playing one sport or two. Now a rising senior, he has decided to drop track in order to pursue his dream of playing college football. Focusing on just football allows Mangum to develop a stronger relationship with his teammates; he missed having the opportunity to work out with his teammates and toss around a football with them in the off season when he was busy with track. However, running track did have its benefits.
“[Track] helped on my flexibility a lot and with endurance,” says Mangum.
In some ways, Mangum realized that the focus on endurance was a drawback to securing a fast start on the football field, which is a vital element to playing strong in the position of safety.
Austin Nagy, a rising junior and shooting guard on North Raleigh Christian Academy’s varsity basketball team, also faced a crossroads in his athletic career. He played basketball and football until his freshman year of high school.
“Then it became what I wanted to really do or what I wanted to do in college,” said Nagy.
Nagy opted to pursue basketball and doesn’t regret his decision to downsize to one sport. He knows of about five other players on his team who also play only basketball,. Nagy says the rest of his teammates play other sports like football or run track, and he knows a number of athletes that have gone on to play multiple sports in college. Nagy hopes to secure a scholarship and land a position on the basketball team at either the University of North Carolina at Wilmington or East Carolina University.
Scholarship dreams are only a part of the reason young athletes are narrowing their focus.
“There are only 24 hours in a day, and a lot of other activities that compete for an athlete’s time and attention,” says Rusty Scarborough, director of coaching for CASL.
Most CASL athletes focus solely on soccer because they’re dedicated to the sport nearly 11 months out of the year. They simply don’t have time to play other sports.
“It’s become more of a specialized situation where athletes have to find their niche,” Scarborough said.
And if securing a niche in a sport – be it football or basketball - is the way to go, Mangum and Nagy have sure found their position.
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