Should I quit Cross Country and Track

So I am at a crossroads here and I’m really unsure what to do. I am a sophomore in high school and I know that Colleges really like extra curriculars but, I just haven’t been enjoying track and cross country like I used to. I have found that these sports are something I dread and are a huge commitment especially since I lose so much class time from them. I really want to quit these sports and just do theater in their place. I already do theater in the winter. The problem is, I am a really great athlete. I got on varsity my freshman year and might be captain if I continue, so I feel like colleges will not like me quitting these sports. I enjoy acting a lot more and have gotten a featured role this year, potentially I think I could get a lead role my junior and senior year. Please be honest and tell me the honest truth, should I quit or stick it out?

You sound like a great athlete - good enough to get recruited later, and perhaps even scholarship-good. Having said that, from an admissions standpoint, colleges don’t prefer one activity over another. It is what you make of the opportunities available. If you love theater, chances are that you will be happy to put in the time and effort needed to do well in it and rack up some accomplishments. Both teamwork and leadership (two qualities colleges like to see) can be honed in the theater as much as on the sports field.

Is it possible to pick either cross country OR track, and then do theater the other two seasons? There isn’t a wrong answer - I am just trying to think about all the options.

@Legend2727 What kind of college do you want to attend?

Colleges won’t care if you do something else. They want to see you are involved in something, and you are.

School record-great? If you were “great great”, then it might be worth sticking out a little longer if you were close to achieving some major accomplishment. What does your track coach say?

don’t do something you hate. Period. Do something you enjoy doing.

^ Maybe the OP is the next Usain Bolt. He says he’s a really great athlete. If a young Usain Bolt came to you and complained about his workouts, would you have advised him to quit track and take theater?

^Yeah, but if you don’t enjoy cross country, you’re probably not going to be dedicated enough to put in the many miles of running each week that are required for training.

I would. If Usain Bolt didn’t love running, it would show.

Do things you love to do.

The ultimate answer depends on what your other ECs are, besides theater. And what colleges. And possible major. If everything else is “right,” dropping your sport matters less. At the other extreme, if this leaves you with only theater, not so great.

@Legend2727 It looks like you are being called-out here. The fact that you are complaining about track makes people here think you are probably not that good. Or, if you had some native talent, you will never realize it because your heart’s not in it. What about it? Are you a “really great athlete” or not? Or maybe you are just “regular great”, in some relative sense. In that case, what you decide probably doesn’t make any difference and you might as well be doing an EC that you enjoy.

@Legend2727 My wife’s childhood friend was a national-class runner who had a track coach who recognized her talent. Unfortunately she found his training methods unpleasant to the point that she decided to quit the sport. If something like this is happening to you, realize that there may be some alternate paths. Ignore those here that tell you definitely that you should quit if you are unhappy; they are not “great” themselves and really have no idea what true greatness entails.

Of course, it’s easy to say quit track and do theatre. I’m a bit conflicted.

Thoughts— if you are talented and can find a nice mix between the two it may work out for you.

I like the idea suggested of dropping indoor track and just running cross country in the fall. Do theatre the other semesters.

You might be a bit burnt out. And focusing on one season and off season runs may give you renewed enthusiasm.

It’s super healthy to have a physical activity like cc as a person. It’s also a great way to burn off some of the stress that will be coming your way.

If you are really good, your teammates will appreciate you staying with them. That’s leadership too.

But not at the risk of your mental health or happiness. That comes first.

On a practical basis if you are qualified to run at the d3 level it’s a really strong admissions preference. Amherst Williams Wesleyan level. Half the class is a student athlete at some of these schools… And these schools have outstanding theatre as well.

I wouldn’t quit before trying to modify first. It could be a bit of a low point in the training cycle. It happens.

But if you try and you still arent happy. Just follow the advice of the other posters.

This is what the OP says. He doesn’t like it. He dreads it.

If he doesn’t like it in high school, why would he consider being a recruited athlete? If he’s Usain Bolt/Carl Lewis/Jim Thorpe fast, I’m sure someone else will be counseling him to stay with it, not a bunch of internet parents. I think what he’s asking is will COLLEGES look at his sophomore times and think “Oh, this athlete was so good. Why did he quit track? We can’t admit him because he quit.” Nope, the school is going to look at EC. Does he have them? Yes.

Even if he won the state meet every year, that would be one check in the activities section. No more than the acting EC. One exception is the service academies that do want to see athletes as the EC.

Also in the OP.

I remember reading this exchange in the Duke ED thread that I thought was funny.

great athletics > great academics > great ECs

But does Zion hate basketball? Does he dread it? I bet he loves it.

The OP has said he hates track and cross country. Dreads it. Asks if he should stay in it to help with college admissions. No, it won’t help him get into college if he doesn’t want to participate in college as a recruit.

Yikes this may be a bit of a stretch, but it brings up an unfortunate suicide at UPenn with an XC runner jumping off a building.

Ordinarily, I would agree with @privatebanker , especially with regard to Little3/NESCAC colleges (recruited athletes are under no obligation to continue their sports once they matriculate.) But, the OP is only a sophomore. I don’t think changing his emphasis and devoting more attention to theater will be viewed suspiciously by a T20 small college. I think adcoms expect a certain amount of change during high school, especially, if it reflects real growth and accomplishment. Also, like other posters, I’m a little worried by the OP’s use of the word, “dread”. That raises an alarm bell, IMO. He needs to listen to his body which is still growing and have a talk with a school counselor, if he really is experiencing anxiety about school and/or sports.

I’ve had kids who have done both track and theater . All ultimately chose what they did for the social aspects. Theater provided performance outlets and a group of boys/girls which my daughter loved. My son tried theater his freshman year along with XC and ultimately quit theater because he loved his group of friends in XC; although he takes a stagecraft class now.

I say DO WHAT YOU LIKE because really, HS is so short of a time period in your life; yet you’ll have so many memories. Let them be of things you like!

My sister is a master swimmer. She told me of a 40+ yr old friend who just is getting back into swimming after being competitive in HS; but after HS this gal would literally throw up going near swimming pools for years because she ended up hating it so much. Don’t let running, at which you are good, become something you hate.

@circuitrider and @bgbg4us Are correct. I’m just saying make sure you know that you actually hate it and it’s not a training lull or too much on your plate. But if you hate it for real. Nothing is worth that long term.