Should Varsity Athletes Have to Participate in Gym Class?

By Cecilia Kadro

Exercise is very important for high school students. At Irvington High school, it is a requirement to participate in gym class, even though most students gain exercise from playing in a varsity sport. 

The debate of whether or not varsity athletes should take a gym class has been going on for a while. There are a few reasons as to why I believe Irvingotn students should not have to take a gym class. 

Firstly, participating in a sport can take up so much of a student’s time. Practice is two hours everyday after school and there are games on top of that. Away games can mean that a team is out for up to five hours after school. The time that it takes to participate in a varsity sport takes away from the time a student will have to complete their homework. If the varsity athlete doesn’t have a gym class, they can have a free period instead which will give the student athlete time to complete homework. 

Another reason is varsity athletes endure a lot of conditioning during games and practices. This means the students that join varsity sports are already getting a great amount of exercise. Participating in gym class is not necessary if the student is getting two hours or more of ongoing physical activity. 

These are just a small number of the many reasons that varsity athletes should not need to take a gym class during the semesters they have a varsity sport.