I’ve run track freshman and sophomore years, and I’m pretty terrible. I’m very slow and my team is very good, so I have about 0% chance of making varsity at any point. I don’t hate track but I don’t love it and am not all that passionate about it or anything. I’m considering quitting next year so that I have more time to focus on school and other ec’s (it is about 2 hours a day after school for almost 3 months and a big drain on m energy). I’m worried that colleges won’t like that I quit, I’ve heard they like to see commitment, but at what point does four years of being mediocre at a sport become a bad tradeoff to having less time/possibly getting slightly lower grades? I am a varsity figure skater as well, which I enjoy a lot. How good does four years of sucking at track look? How bad does quitting track after two years of sucking look? If I did quit, would it be better to not mention track on my applications at all?
You are not forced to do an activity that you no longer like. If you want to try to get better, then continue with track. Continue figure skating. Yes, please list track on your applications.
It’s fine to quit. If you want to explain it, you gave it a try because you’re willing to try something new, stuck with it long enought to realize throwing yourself into it wasn’t going to change how you felt about it, and decided to use the 10 hours a week on xyz instead.
Unless you are a recruited athlete (which you are not) a sport is viewed as a nice EC – nothing more and nothing less. So stop track and find other things you prefer to get involved in. High school SHOULD be a time of growth, figuring out what you care about etc. so it is not not unusual and not a problem to drop some activities and pick up other ones. And it is perfectly fine to include the two years of track on your application – it shows that you were doing something for that period of time.
From a parent’s perspective, it’s time to move on. Colleges will not care that you quit track, especially if you’ve filled the time with something you’re passionate about.
Of course, if you’re a resident of CA, then you’re required to take 2 years of PE to graduate HS. And 3 seasons of any sport(s) is the equivalent to one year of PE. Typically, freshman must take PE.
However, from the perspective of someone who really enjoys fitness, track does help keep you in fantastic shape and builds brain power.
I think you should not make your decisions purely off what looks good for colleges. In the end, if you are not passionate about it, then it will show in your application, even if you do stay for all 4 years.
I agree with @Fluflaydepas. There are a LOT of very good universities in the US (and more outside the US). If your grades are good, you will have many good choices. You can’t live your entire high school life imprisoned by our best guess regarding what some university admissions person wants you to do.
Be a good student, keep ahead in your classes, and participate in ECs that you want to participate in.
I agree you shouldn’t be doing something just because you think it will help getting into college. Do that which you want to do.
That you are not good at a sport isn’t necessarily a reason to drop it. I know a lot of people who pretty much suck at a given sport (golf is the most common) but who really enjoy it. So why not keep playing? To me, golf is a good way to ruin a nice walk so I don’t play (I decent at it back when I played but just didn’t like it). So I don’t play anymore…
Most colleges give little weight to extracurricular activities. You can find out for colleges you are thinking about by looking at their common data set report. For those colleges that give a lot of weight to them, the very selective ones choosing between highly qualified applicants,they want to see more than just participation. They want to see leadership and achievement. So at these schools listing four years of track is not going to make a difference. And at schools where EC’s are not as important it sounds like you already have enough going on. I can’t think of any reason to spend two hours each day after school for three months doing something you don’t really enjoy; it is certainly not going to be a factor that get you into any college.
It seems to me like you already have a great sport, which is not that common: varsity figure skating. If you want to continue a second sport (track), that is fine, but figure skating checks the sports box nicely. Some students use track as a way to condition for their main sport (like soccer or tennis), so if you view it that way, it could be a training activity to support something you are more “passionate” about - skating. I think colleges would understand either way.
IT seems to me that change is part of growth.
You’re growing. You no longer find enjoyment in something you once did. You want to free up your time for pursuits you do enjoy.
Quit track. LIfe’s way too short to do something you hate.
Do what you want to do. If you enjoy it, don’t quit just because you are not one of the best or because you won’t make the varsity squad. However if there is something else you would rather switch to another activity. Don’t worry about what colleges will think.