Writing out ‘basketball practice’ for every day of the week on her calendar, varsity basketball player Nisha Musunuri ’25 finds herself running out of space. Her calendar is filled with reminders of practices, games, schoolwork, and personal events, with every inch of space carefully allocated.
This packed schedule is commonplace among student-athletes at SHS. Many of them, like Musunuri, balance a strong identity tied to their sport with the equally demanding role of a high school student.
According to data from IHSA, over 8 million students competed in sports during the 2023-2024 school year, a number that steadily increases every year. The National Federation of State High School Associations highlights that participation in high school athletics fosters a sense of community and offers opportunities for personal growth.
“Being involved in a sport helped me create relationships, build teamwork, communicate, and through that, I found some of my best friends,” Musunuri said. “Not to mention life skills like taking risks and learning from failure.”
Musunuri’s experience reflects a common sentiment among high school athletes, where the sport becomes both a rigorous commitment and a critical part of the athlete’s personal identity. However, fencing captain Joshua Lim ’25 notices the commitment required for high school sports can sometimes become overwhelming.
“Stevenson’s curriculum can be really academically demanding,” Lim said. “When athletes hit a wall in their progress, they get frustrated that they are not going anywhere. They decide it’s not worth it, and they redirect their focus to something else.”
With academic pressures and personal goals pulling them in several directions, Lim has noticed that student-athletes often reassess how sports fit into their lives. A study by Health Psychology Research found that approximately 91% of high school athletes experience some stress due to their sport, with 58% reporting moderate to extreme stress levels, underscoring the need for students to prioritize their time and reassess their commitments to maintain their well-being.
“When your sport becomes important to you, your performance becomes one of the factors that play into your happiness, and it can be difficult to separate your performance from your overall well-being,” Musunuri said. “Learning to live with that and reminding yourself that you’re doing this for your own benefit is so important.”
Athletic Director Tricia Betthauser agrees with the need for balance and a supportive environment that fosters student-athletes beyond their athletic roles. Betthauser believes a nurturing environment can offer athletes support networks to keep students grounded and focused.
“It’s crucial that an athlete is able to go home to a supportive environment, regardless of performance,” Betthauser said. “And maybe it’s not the family, but the friend unit. They really need to have another environment where they can just get away from the sport for a while.”
Betthauser notes that the most common reason students quit sports is because of a lack of personal enjoyment, often due to the added pressure of the competition. However, Betthauser also stresses that despite these stressors, many athletes find that the skills they gain on the court or field extend far beyond high school.
“Playing basketball has given me skills, like time management, work ethic, and dedication, and I’m trying to carry those skills to my future, as a college basketball player,” Musunuri said.
Musunuri and Bethhauser add that sports teach students to work in a team and instill healthy habits to support their physical and mental health. Varsity soccer coach Pepejon Chavez echoes this sentiment, suggesting that student-athletes gain skills and values through sports that translate into all areas of their life.
“You’re supposed to take the sport to another level, which I think is taking the lessons and values you gain and applying them into your field of life,” Chavez said.
According to a study in The Journal of Sport and Social Issues, despite the many benefits playing a sport provides, the social dynamics of sports can negatively influence student engagement, especially due to gaps in sports involvement across demographics. For instance, according to a study by Project Play, while girls’ participation in high school sports has increased to 3.42 million in the 2023 to 2024 school year, boys still comprise 1.2 million more high school sports roster spots than girls.
This disparity highlights the ongoing challenges in achieving gender balance across various sports, supported by The Women’s Sports Foundation. A study published in BMC Psychology highlights that factors such as family support, peer interaction, and a positive environment significantly influence participation in sports. Conversely, the absence of these supportive elements, such as peers who you can enjoy a sport with can deter individuals from engaging in activities.
“The social aspect for sports dominated by one gender or another causes students to lose interest,” Betthauser said. “It takes a very brave individual to be that first one, and then it grows and gradually builds into a community.”
According to Flowrestling, a site that provides live coverage of wrestling events, 16% of wrestlers are female. Betthauser said the first girls’ wrestler at Stevenson has now graduated. Nevertheless, others have continued to wrestle due to her being a trailblazer for the girls’ wrestling program. Currently 37 students have signed up for girls’ wrestling this winter. As more students pursue sports, the impact of the sports a student plays shapes their identity and reaches beyond practice hours or various competitions.
“Sports are a big commitment and take up a lot of time,” Lim said. “But I have a whole separate identity in my sport. Fencing has really impacted who I hang out with and who I’ve met. At the end of the day, the community is really positive and uplifting.”