Text by MEENA NARAYANASWAMI, MIYA WHITELEY and ANDREW XUE
ATHLETIC ADVERSITY THE PSYCHOLOGICAL BURDEN OF COMPETITIVE SPORTS
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ALO ALTO HIGH SCHOOL Paly perspectives Former Paly student Moira King bejunior Lauren Levine spent her last years as a competitive Junior lieves Biles and Osaka have played a crucial Olympics gymnast dreading prac- role in raising awareness on the topic of tice every week. The hobby she once loved athlete’s wellbeing. King is currently working with The had become a source of anxiety and distress in her life as she was pressured to perform Hidden Opponent, a non-profit organization dedicated to addressing the stuincreasingly difficult and dangerous skills. dent-athlete mental “I was scared all the time,” Levine said. I was really fearful of health“Tostigma. be an ath“It wasn’t just nerves or lete is as much menthe adrenaline of doing certain skills I was doas it is physical,” something I'd never ing and it felt like I just tal King said. “You can done before, I was resee it in the Olymally fearful of certain had to do it.” pics with Simone skills that I was doing — LAUREN LEVINE, junior and gymnast Biles. ... Her mental and it felt like I just space wasn't there had to do it.” yet and so therefore, Student-athletes like Levine are constantly pushed beyond their comfort zones she couldn't perform." King said she believes many athletes to perform and compete at the highest possible level, often negatively impacting their like Biles face mental health challenges because society places pressure on them to mental and physical health. Internationally-recognized athletes excel. “There's a level of strength that athlike Simone Biles and Naomi Osaka have recently stepped back from high-level letes are supposed to have,” King said. “I competitions such as the 2020 Olym- think that's kind of being questioned right pics to prioritize their mental health and now. Because what really is strength? Is it well-being. Their decisions were met with pushing yourself to the point where you mixed reactions from fans and followers, can barely function anymore? Or is it havsome praising them for their bravery and ing a nice balance?” For many student-athletes, managing others criticizing them for not competing. Despite their varied reception, Biles high-level competition and high school and Osaka’s decisions to step back from life in Palo Alto’s competitive academic the Olympics have sparked conversations environment can be a taxing experience — among Paly athletes regarding how mental both mentally and physically. “It [playing sports] can definitely add health is negatively affected by competistress because you have less time to do tion.
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school work and you also have to worry about staying healthy,” junior and varsity Paly football player Rocky Leitch said. The competitive and stressful nature of an athlete’s sport can also detract from their enjoyment of the sport. Levine competed in Junior Olympics from third to sixth grade, until she switched into Xcel, a less competitive program. “I really stopped enjoying practice,” Levine said. “I knew that I still loved gymnastics and that I wanted to keep doing it, so I switched.” Making the switch to the less competitive Xcel was not an easy one due to how she believed her teammates and coaches would react. “I definitely think taking a step back is so hard for so many people because it's
