By Allie Arnold
Staff Writer

In a town known for its excellence in athletics, it is difficult for Coppell athletes to constantly compete for that number one spot while still maintaining a love for the sport. It is seen every day.

Athletes quit a sport they once loved simply because they get “burned out” due to a variety of different contributing factors.

For many, it is the desire to participate in other activities that makes them quit the sport holding them back from doing so.

“If girls quit volleyball at the freshman level, it is because they don’t have enough time to do other sports such as lacrosse and other things outside of school,” volleyball coach Robyn DeArmond said. “Volleyball is a sport that takes a lot of commitment and consumes a lot of your time, so many quit because they want to be involved in different things.”

In a town that is also well known for its excellence in academics, students constantly feel pressure to excel in all classes. Trying to juggle the pressure of sports with the pressure of school is often impossible, causing many athletes to choose the option they feel is most important.

“I played volleyball for many years and while I loved it, it was very time consuming,” junior Sarah Slover said. “All the long hours made it stressful and to the point where academics became back seat to volleyball. I still love the game, but it came to a point where I felt as though I had to choose between athletic and academic success. I ended up choosing the academics over volleyball because I felt that it was important for my grades to be a top priority.”

In the most unfortunate case, some athletes simply become tired of the sport and lose the passion they once had for it.

“I played basketball for a long time because I loved it since I was a little kid,” junior Jacob Self said.  “I played it for a little too long, I think, because I started to realize when I got to high school that I didn’t have the same love for it as I once did. I didn’t want to play a sport and commit so much time to it if my heart wasn’t in it.”