For many, high school is the time to take risks – trying out for varsity, running for class president, or starting the composting club. High school, we’re told, is the time to experiment, to discover the different paths that lie ahead and to choose which ones to follow. While this is a beautiful sentiment typically made by adults whose memory of high school is blurred, it is not entirely true.
To the typical student, it might be nice to sign up for environmental club, to do each musical, and to play on the lacrosse team. However, this frenzy of activity only leads to shortcuts and compromises. Between the hours spent in school and the time and energy poured into the work that follows once the day is “over,” there is not enough stamina left to give each of these passions the integrity they deserve. Students must make a choice.
The truth is that to be on a team, or to be on the play’s cast, is a huge commitment. Consider the schedule of a player on varsity field hockey: the preseason in August that consumes three to four hours every day for a week straight, two practices a day in the steamy heat. Then classes begin, and the daily two hour sessions after school leave just enough time to frantically finish homework. Not to mention the weekend practices, the games, and the long bus rides. Now imagine the grind for the lead in the musical. Rehearsals that carry on from three to six, the memorization of lines, and the indescribable chaos of tech week.
The skills required to be in the play and to be on a sports team demand such dexterity of body and nimbleness of mind, that pursuing them in tandem becomes nearly impossible. You cannot fake the tenacity that is required to beat Dobbs Ferry on their home field under the lights, and you cannot “Chat GPT” your way through a performance of Our Town. You must have dedication, love, and patience for whatever you choose to do in order to find joy and success in it.
Laurie Walton, the high school musical director, believes that students should follow all passions, claiming: “I learned a long time ago that there are students who not only have a passion for both, but excel at both. I would never want them to have to eliminate one of these meaningful activities…so I do my utmost best to accommodate those who truly want to do both.” While it is possible to pursue both sports and theatre, perhaps the question is not can we, but should we? It can be beneficial to experiment and discover what clicks. However, it is evident that a student who sits on the bench during meets and games just so they can wait in the wings of the stage, confined to a miniscule role, will not absorb enough from either activity. In order to succeed, you must be fully immersed in what you are doing so that you can not only get the job done, but to get it done right.
As Mr. Wendol, the Hastings Athletic Director, has said, “Usually it is easier during Middle School years, but once you get to JV/Varsity level, it is a whole new ball game.” Middle school is the time when you should experiment, the stakes are low, and the possibilities seem endless.
High school is the time for mastery, the time when you have to choose what should be done and then refine it. If you’re still deciding between sports and theatre in high school, you may find that, surrounded by well practiced peers, you can’t play pee-wee style in the major leagues.
