Should I quit College Track

Student Lounge College Life
1

I recently started college at a technical school that is division 3 in track and field. In high school, I was a star sprinter in and was given a lot responsibility in heading hurdles and sprints. However, the other people of the team were never into the workout (some were very difficult) and I felt it was my responibility to cheer everyone and help everyone get through the workout during the season.

When I graduated I promised myself I would not do track in college so I could focus on my studies and find out more things about myself during my college years. However, signed up anyway because running was something I was used to doing. I’ve been in the track for 4 weeks now, and I don’t see myself being in track for my college career because it doesn’t seem like something I want to continue doing in my life.

Everyone else is so commited and I find myself questioning whether to quit everyday during workouts. It also takes a bg chunk of my time for studying and being with friends for studying and dinner. I’m just scared of how people on the team might talk about me as “the kid who couldn’t hack it.” The coach is understanding and says its my decision if I want to do other things in college, but I feel I’d be disappointing the team somehow and wondering if i would regret quitting in a few months. I just dont know what to do!

2

A few things pop into my head when I read your post:

  1. You don't have to plan on doing an extracurricular for life to enjoy doing it in college.
  2. While many believe that being involved in extracurricular activities is detrimental to academic performance, the opposite has been shown to be true. People who are busy tend to be more efficient with their time.
  3. Think really hard about whether or not YOU enjoy this activity, then make a decision. Making choices based on what you perceive other's think or might say is never a good idea.
3
  1. How are you doing in college? How are your grades?
  2. Clearly you enjoy running as you signed up
  3. Can you make it through this season and see how it goes? Then you can see if you want to join again next year or next season.
4

The main point of college is to get a degree so team will understand if you feel you’ve over-committed. Doesn’t sound as though you have scholarship money for this, You sound a little burned out on running. Take a break. Focus on studies and trying new things. Run for fun/exercise with some friends on campus - look for a running club or encourage some hall mates to train for a short charity run. Or shift gears and join an outdoor club that hikes. Physical exercise is good for mind and body.

You say the coach is understanding. As far as teammates - I think you’ll find that other people have too much going on in their own life to spend a lot of energy on yours.