Most student-athletes know about the dedication it takes to be involved in sports, especially for all three seasons of the year. Seniors Laycee Josoff, Jett Arensberg, Zach Krajicek and Drake Trent have had this dedication during all four years of their high school careers, earning them the title of twelve-sport athletes.

Being a twelve-sport student-athlete comes with its challenges, however. One of the stresses Josoff finds in being in a sport year-round is missing school.

“You’re constantly gone for school and it’s hard to make up time but… I finally got in the groove of things, and it was more enjoyable to be in a lot of sports,” said Josoff, who participated in softball, basketball and track.

Aside from missing school, Krajicek finds that being involved in sports year-round clashes with other extracurricular activities.

“[It’s] just busy and also tends to conflict with other activities,” Krajicek, who was in football, wrestling and track, said. “And then homework on top of that.” 

Not only are there challenges between sports and school but also within the sports themselves. The switch between some seasons can be difficult, but there are also some advantages.

“It’s harder because you’re transitioning constantly to different sports, and it’s not the same skills rather than just working on one sport year-round,” Josoff said. “But I would say it benefits you more… It makes you a better [overall] athlete.”

Although different sports do not always work on the same skills, there are areas where they complement each other.

“Every sport builds off each other,” said Arensberg, who was involved in football, wrestling and track. “Track builds to any sport you want to do… [by] building speed and muscle.”

The benefits of being involved in sports year-round also extend to relationships with other student-athletes.

“It’s a lot of fun to get to hang out with friends and a lot of people that do different types of sports instead of staying in one and only hanging out with the same group of people,” Krajicek said.

Trent, who was in football, basketball and track, agrees that friendships are strengthened through sports.

“Being in sports has pushed me to reach out and talk to people who I wouldn’t have talked to otherwise,” said Trent. 

Having reached this twelve-sport goal, these seniors give advice to others attempting to follow in their footsteps.

“Be prepared to miss school; don’t stress yourself out so much,” Arensberg said. “You’ve got to go with the flow. Get your work done.” 

However, these student-athletes also know the positives outweigh the negatives.

“Stick with it. You might not want to continue with a sport or two. Just know that in the end, it’s really worth it,” Krajicek said. “If you enjoy the sport, continue to play.”