Athletes already active

In order for a student to play a sport for the Hawks, they must attend practice everyday after school, and spend countless hours training both on and off the field. For this reason, student athletes should not be required to take physical education as a required course in high school.
The average high school athlete is getting an abundance of exercise and physical training in the two hour a day practices that happen every afternoon. These practices often include running, weight training, and a host of other physically demanding tasks. Athletes are schooled by their coaches and trainers in healthy habits like hydration, stretching, and eating right for optimal performance. These things are no different than what is being taught in the average gym class, which lasts 80 minutes.
Yet, all students at North Harford are required to take two half credits of gym to graduate. These half credits disrupt students’ schedules, forcing them to find another half year class to pair it with or to take a full year of gym. The gym requirement causes students to have less opportunities to take more classes that appeal to colleges.
Gym can be a helpful class for the less active students in the school or the student who might enjoy sports but does not want the commitment of playing a high school sport.  It requires them to get up and get active for 80 minutes of the day, but student athletes are already getting two hours  plus of rigorous physical activity on a daily basis. The 80 minute gym class just adds more stress onto those students’ bodies.
Others might argue that gym is a time for students to decompress during the school day, especially if their schedules are packed with an abundance of AP or other challenging courses.  However, gym has a much more academic feel than it previously had since it now includes things like tests, projects, and worksheets, rather than just an opportunity to get active.
Gym teachers provide kids the values of good sportsmanship and the ability to follow directions while keeping the kids active. This class is a beneficial but student athletes learn these ideas and concepts while being physically healthy outside of the school day.
Though some students may find it unfair that athletes would not have to participate in gym, athletes spend two hours after school at practice ensuring their physical fitness. That is time well spent.
Physical education should be an elective for athletes, and a requirement for those who are not participating in HS sports.  That way, everyone gets the benefit of having the opportunity to be exposed to healthy choices with regard to physical well being.