Let’s be honest: gym should not be a required class for varsity athletes. With the competitive nature of varsity sports here at the high school, gym is just a cause for unnecessary injury to athletes.

Maybe I’m still bitter from being on crutches three days before my senior year of district volleyball playoffs, all thanks to an injury incurred during gym class.

Nonetheless, this fall season alone Southern Lehigh won three Colonial League titles, as well as three District XI titles, and the winter and spring season sports are projected to dominate also. Each team relied on its full varsity roster to advance in league, district, and state playoffs.

During the height of any sports season, practices become more intense and games consume both weeknights and weekends. Sometimes games are an hour or so away, and the bus ride to and from cuts further into the limited time one has in a day. Not only am I physically exhausted, but I’m mentally exhausted, and homework is the last thing on my mind.

Thus, varsity athletes should have the option to select study hall in place of gym.

As a varsity athlete myself, I’m not using gym as a cop out so that I don’t have to work out. I get more than my daily dose of cardio during practices. Gym class is only adding more exertion (and let’s not forget to mention the “gym class heroes” who try unnecessarily hard).

Don’t get me wrong, however. I’m extremely competitive, and I’m the first one to participate in speedball or handball. But given the choice as to whether I could take study hall or gym, I would choose study hall.

There are only 24 hours in a day and requiring athletes, who devote much of their time to a competitive sport, to take gym class is irrational. Athletes dedicate a lot of their time to sports so shouldn’t the administration dedicate more time for athletes to focus on their studies as well?