WEST JORDAN, Utah — As FOX13 News continues its series on the pressures facing Utah teens, today’s focus is on the unique challenges student-athletes endure.
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With academic demands, extracurricular responsibilities, and the expectations tied to their sport, the pressure on high school athletes is intense and growing. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), about 60% of high school athletes report moderate to extreme levels of stress related to their sport, and one-quarter say that stress negatively impacts their performance.
At Copper Hills High School, student-athletes compete on the field while fighting to maintain their mental health. Gretta Clayton, who plays tennis and lacrosse, Maverick Bowles, the school’s quarterback, and Noah Haroldsen, a football and lacrosse player, all excel physically but they still admit the mental demands are just as taxing.
“It’s pretty rough sometimes,” said Clayton. “I had to go off the field and just take a mental break to refocus.” Bowles echoed that sentiment saying “You go to football practice, you go to school, and that can take up most of your day,” he said.
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Copper Hills Athletic Director Ben Morley sees this pressure firsthand. With a background in coaching he says “There’s definitely a pressure that comes with being a student-athlete,” Morley said. “In a way, we’ve kind of lost the soul of high school athletics, and we’re in a fight to get that back.”…