With a steady decline in multisport athletes, coaches and fans are left questioning what has caused the change. Are teens becoming lazy? Are sports no longer a priority? Many factors have played into this change in participation, but an underlying reason has been the rise of travel sports.
Practice makes progress and many athletes feel inclined to take on their sport full year to get repetition for their high school seasons. Travel sports usually take on a rigorous schedule to lead players to excellence or exhaustion. Having six years of travel softball under her belt, Kelsie George ’25 has experienced both aspects.
“It’s a really big commitment you’re going to be driving 40 minutes to go to practice two times a week,” George said. “And that’s on top of what you have to do for school and outside of school like clubs and everything else.”
Without year-round play, students can still enjoy their sport at a slightly less competitive level. Evelyn Wodzisz ’26 has shifted away from travel sports and has enjoyed her experience on three different varsity high school sports teams.
“I get to be on a team with all of my friends, and I like the pasta parties and all the school spirit,” Wodzisz said. “I think it’s really fun and less intense.”
However, the extra commitment that comes with travel sports is what leads athletes to their success. Hockey player Charlotte Harr ’26 has seen remarkable improvement among herself and her teammates as a result of playing year-round.
“You do get a lot better,” Harr said. “You get more time to work on your skill.”
Truthfully, seeing growth in the off-season can make the additional pressure of travel sports worth it. While taking time away from travel sports, George has been working to find her groove again before high school season starts.
“With travel, because you stay so consistent you always see constant improvement when you really put in the work,” said George. “So I feel like right now I need to get back in the momentum for the high school season.”
Understanding the intensity of travel sports is important when deciding if it’s right for you. Reminiscing on her time as a travel athlete, Wodzisz recognizes the pros and cons of engaging in year-round sports.
“[In travel sports] there’s a lot more cool tournaments and travel opportunities, but it is a lot of time commitment and hard to balance with hard school work,” Wodzisz said.
