Fossil Ridge High school offers seemingly endless extracurricular activities, but their time commitment can make life difficult for freshmen.
Freshman Adan Frausto said marching band has been a “big challenge, but it’s fun.”
“I started because my summer was pretty boring, so I figured I’d spice it up a bit,” Frausto said.
Marching band practice is four to five days a week.
“I just had to get myself on a strict plan and focus more on my schoolwork so I didn’t fall behind,” he said.
Volleyball player Calloway Shields has also had to deal with the increased time extracurriculars take at high school.
“It’s every day, it’s usually like 4:30 to 6:30, a lot of my own time is spent working and doing extra homework and putting more time just to get better at the sport,” said Shields, who also played volleyball in middle school.
Shields uses communication skills with both players and teachers to help her find a balance.
“There’s just a lot more people, so it’s a lot,” Shields said. “There’s been multiple stressful days but it’s just a way of finding a balance.”
Avery Friedly, another freshman volleyball player, echoed some of Shields’ concerns.
“It’s a lot more fun and just more intense,” Friedly said about the two hour practice on weekdays.
“I think it’s just time management, just by knowing when to do my homework and knowing what to [do] like right after I get done with doing my homework,” she said.
Freshman Harshaan Saini, who played quarterback on C-team football, said high school sports are more demanding.
“I did it in middle school. It’s a little more like, I guess, more intense, because it actually matters,” Saini said. ”About like two hours every four days out of the week.”
Football training starts in the summer, but the actual season goes on for around two months, he said.
“The conditioning can get difficult. It’s kind of physically demanding sometimes,” Saini said. “Sometimes it does get a little stressful. I’ve just tried to create a schedule to make sure I stick to it…it depends on how much you listen in class.”
