Since Humphreys is not sure if he is willing to play two sports in one season, he is considering running track instead of cross country since track and basketball do not overlap. He ran both cross country and track in middle school, so this would not be an unfamiliar change for him.

     Humpreys is not the only athlete that has a choice to make this year; sophomore Anna Bayes participated in varsity volleyball and swimming her freshman year, both of which overlap due to the schedule changes.

     “I was very bummed and I thought there was no way I was going to be able to do both sports, but I'm going to try,” Bayes said. 

     Since volleyball and swimming practice at different times of the day, Bayes feels that she will be able to play both sports without missing out on too much of either. 

     Students making this difficult decision had to take into consideration the impact that their busy schedule will have on their academics. Playing a sport always takes up time outside of school and poses a potential burden. Two sports will double the amount of time and effort that goes into extracurricular activities instead of school.

     “I am [worried],” Humphreys said. “I feel that I stay on top of what I have to do for the most part but I could see it possibly becoming a challenge.”

     In addition to an already busy schedule, Bayes plays on travel teams for both beach and indoor volleyball outside of school sports. She is used to juggling her time commitments between school and extracurriculars, but she is now worried about the impact that playing on four teams at once will have on her academics.

     “More time will be devoted to these athletics... [and] I won’t have as much time to work on my school work,” Bayes said.

     Both of these athletes have plans about handling this challenge that include staying on top of their school work and making organization a priority. 

     “[I plan to make] sure I keep everything I have to do written down and up to date just so I can always have a checklist of what I need to get done and stay on top of things,” Humphreys said. 

     Even though it may be difficult to play the same sports with this new schedule, Bayes is prepared to take on the challenge. Humphreys is still deciding if he is willing, especially since the sports that he plays practice at the same time of the day. 

     To other athletes facing the same challenge, Humphreys and Bayes recommend that they consider the academic impact the sports will have before making a decision.

     “I would say just be smart about what you are doing and if you are a hardworking person and you know that you can get your school work done, then totally go for it,” Bayes said. “But, if you are not good at time managing, then maybe I’d just pick one.”

     COVID-19 has majorly impacted all areas of life, even high school athletics. Many Rose students hoped that life would be back to “normal” by the time this school year came around, especially since so many spring sports were impacted last school year. Fortunately, sports will be able to happen this year, but the new schedule brings challenges for many that will unfold in time.