Why do athletes persevere?

BY DAVID RAYMOND Sports Editor

5:00 am practices. Injuries.Pressure to perform. All of these add up to what can be described as a toxic and stressful environment. This is what athletes have to contend with, so what keeps them going when the benefits can be hard to see.

For athletes these sacrifices can be tough to stomach when even playing becomes a chore.

“I’m a starter, I play the entire offense, it sucks,” sophomore offensive lineman Chapel Thorbourne said.

For high level athletes in high school schedules can be filled to the brim. With commitments from sports, school, jobs and extracurriculars not every requirement can be fulfilled.

This leads to dilemmas for student athletes.

“When I was failing a class freshman year I decided to go to practice instead of doing homework,” Thorbourne said.

What is their motivation to continue? What makes these people so incredibly driven and motivated? Many student athletes are trying to play in college, … For junior rower Charlotte Jett, greatness in her sport is one reason.

“I want to make the American junior national team,” Jett said.

For other athletes the monetary reward for getting to the top level of their sport is another driving factor.

“To put my parents in retirement,” Thorbourne listed as his biggest motivator to continue playing.

While long term success is definitely in the front of mind for high school athletes there are other reasons that they play. The relationships athletes make in highschool have the possibility of extending long past their sports career.

“I’ve made friends with everybody on the team, everyone knows I’m electric, my personality’s crazy,” Thorbourne said.

Short term successes also shouldn’t be overlooked, they bring euphoria and are many athletes favorite moments in their career.

“My highest moment was when we won league and went 14 and one last year,” sophomore Benjamin Solon said.

For many student athletes, sports gives them motivation for school. To participate in highschool athletics student athletes must keep a minimum of a 2.0 gpa according to California Interscholastic Foundation (CIF).

“The only reason I’m not failing all of my classes is because I wouldn’t be able to play basketball,” Solon said.

Even with the many benefits of their sports, not everything is positive. Attempting to be elite in not only athletics but also academics comes with its challenges.

“Not only am I doing the IB diploma but I have a 14 hour a week sport commitment,” senior rower Iris Hamelin said.

For all of these athletes though a thorough enjoyment of their sport is shared. Outside motivators are a factor for competing in sports but some motivation is just as simple as a love for their sport.

“I hope to row for a long time,” Hamelin said, “I don’t care if it’s competitive or not.”

Solon echoed the same point.

“I really found my passion in basketball,” Solon said.

Another place where these athletes draw motivation from is their supporting network. “I’m really really lucky to be on a team of really fast and strong girls that inspire me every day,” Hamelin said.

At the end of the day internal motivation can be hard to decipher but is clearly present in everyone who competes at a high level of competition, “That’s not who I am, I’m not a quitter,” Solon said.