5 Things to Consider Before You Quit a School Sport Midseason
Think twice before quitting a school sport midway through.
Unless you have a season-ending injury or a legitimate reason to say sayonara to soccer or swimming before it's time, there are plenty of things to take into consideration prior to calling it quits.
If you're suddenly unsure of your commitment to varsity, you can't stand your teammates or you're simply just over it for one reason or another, check out our list of things to consider before you quit a school sport midseason:
Your Teammates
One of the greatest things about participating in a school sport is the connections and bonds you make along the way with both your coaches and the other people on your team. If you decide to quit the sport, it's important to remember you're not the only one who will be impacted by this decision. The very nature of team sports means your coaches and fellow teammates will feel your absence as well. And, depending on exactly what position you played in the team dynamic, both on and off the field (or court), your choice to leave could have some pretty tough consequences for your pals. You signed up to be a part of a team, so it's crucial to consider how bailing might affect said group going forward.
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Your Future Involvement in Sports
If you quit the basketball team or soccer team one year, you better be prepared to say goodbye to those teams (as well as other teams and maybe even certain after-school activities) for the duration of your high school career. As explained above, the foundation of team sports rests on the dynamic the team members are able to create, and if you leave them hanging high and dry one season, they're not going to be too eager to let you play with them the following year, should you have a change of heart. When you join a team, the expectation is that you stay committed and do what it is you signed up to do. If you leave the second things get tough or are no longer exciting for you, your teammates have no reason to trust you (or your word) going forward.
Your College Chances
Like it or not, if you're planning to attend a college or university once you graduate high school, just about everything you do from freshman to senior year is subject to scrutiny from hard-to-please admissions officers. If a college you're interested in sees that you've quit a sport without good reason, this could very well have a negative impact on your chances of getting into said school. Simply put, colleges and universities (especially the competitive ones) like to see students who have consistent interests and those who follow through on their commitments. If you sign up for a sport freshman year and don't return for sophomore year because you didn't like it, that's certainly understandable, but try to avoid ditching a sport in the middle of the season. This won't reflect well on you and your ability to follow through.
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Your Social Life
While you might not be best friends with the people on your team, don't underestimate the impact leaving them will have on your social life. Not only do you hit the field with these people at least once a week (sometimes more), but you also practice together, travel to away games together, celebrate victories as a unit and support one another when things get tough.
Once you're no longer a part of a team (and especially if you leave on bad terms), that social circle and support system is no longer yours to use. Sure, you can still be friendly with individual members of the team, but the dynamic will most certainly be very different, and that's worth taking into consideration before you call it quits.
Suffering From a Serious Case of FOMO
Playing a sport in high school means you have a chance to take part in some pretty awesome experiences and traditions, in addition to being given a certain level of respect from those around you. If you quit a sport, it's highly likely that you'll experience at least some FOMO.
Just because you've decided to stop playing softball, lacrosse or whatever it may be, that doesn't mean all the other stuff is put on hold as well, and it's totally understandable that you might feel a bit jealous when the team wins a game without you, or when the whole school is cheering the team on at a big event. Before walking away from a school sport, consider what it would feel like to no longer play a more active role in some of those experiences and traditions.
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For more advice, click HERE for a list of the dos and don'ts you should follow to have a successful prom.