Photo by Carlos Carrillo
Sports programs face theory cuts
0
0
Following the removal of various sports theory classes for the 2016-17 school year, many teams, including Badminton, Cross Country, Soccer, and Track and Field, will head into their seasons with no theory classes to host them during their sixth periods.
Theory classes are an important part of many student-athlete schedules. Allowing pupils to both fulfill their physical education requirements, and add another hour to their daily practice, they often prove beneficial to those athletes who take them. However, some students, such as Cross Country athlete Vanessa Hoang, have been left with gaps in their schedules following the removal of some theory classes.
“Since there isn’t any theory this year, I have to make up the PE credits during the summer instead of having an indirect study [period] with theory,” Hoang said.
One solution to not having a theory class has been to extend practices further into the afternoon, but athletes like Cross Country runner Kenny Chan, who must take the bus every day to get home, still do not get in as much practice as they would like.
“I have less time to run [because I have to catch the bus], which makes it harder for me [to improve],” Chan said. “I have to put in more work at home.”
Cross Country is not the only sport that lost theory courses this year. Badminton has also seen their sixth-period class cut, and players, such as junior Tho Truong, feel negatively affected by missing out on an extra hour of practice.
“I feel that I can’t hit certain hits as well,” Truong said.
On the other hand, some athletes, like junior soccer player Jorge Dueñas, feel that losing the theory class will not prevent the team from performing well.
“A large portion of the team did not have theory,” Dueñas said. “[It] probably won’t have an impact.”
However, fellow soccer player Javier Murguia feels that while it is not an issue now, it could cause problems in the future.
“Not having theory hasn’t really affected me, I just get out an hour early now,” Murguia said. “But it might in the future. Last year we would use that extra hour to warm up. Now without theory a lot of people have ER5 and might just go home or not warm up. Everybody won’t be as disciplined as they were last year.”
Whether they cherished their theory classes or simply did not have a need for them, the certainty is that none of these four programs will have the sixth-period option this year. Regardless, the teams will continue into their respective seasons, aiming to compete and represent the school well.
