The question of whether or not athletes have a better chance of
succeeding by focusing solely on one sport will result in a
different answer depending on who you ask. Gilroy High coach
Armando Gonzalez said wrestling needs to be treated like a
year-round sport to get the most out of one’s ability.
The question of whether or not athletes have a better chance of succeeding by focusing solely on one sport will result in a different answer depending on who you ask. Gilroy High coach Armando Gonzalez said wrestling needs to be treated like a year-round sport to get the most out of one’s ability.
Meanwhile, Gilroy High soccer coach Armando Padilla agreed that such focus can get the most out of one’s talent, but noted that the chance to find one’s best suited ability can often be prevented by cutting off other activities at an early age.
“I feel that kids focusing on one sport too early can be easily burnt out and also at the same time you don’t get a chance to explore,” Padilla said.
Gilroy High’s Head Athletic Trainer, Jennifer Spinetti, has a unique viewpoint as she deals with athletes and injuries in all sports.
“We see more overuse-type injuries when athletes focus on one sport as opposed to kids that are varying their routine,” Spinetti said. “(The multiple sport athletes) are not exempt from injury but … we see more overuse injuries because as a society we’ve gone away form multiple sports to focusing on the one you really like.”
Gonzalez said he and fellow Gilroy Hawks coaches monitor how the kids are doing, mentally and physically, and know when to pull back if the kids need a break.
“The key to it is longevity,” he said. “At this point, we just teach them and don’t worry so much on immediate results. The important thing isn’t what they do here as kids. It’s what they do in high school.”
Isaiah Locsin, who is a wrestler year-round, uses some of his free time on an activity that has nothing to do with sports: playing the bass guitar. His father, Dan, believes there’s a good reason behind finding hobbies that aren’t sports related.
“With the intensity (of wrestling), he needs to find the other extreme where his mind is a bit more relaxed,” his father said. “And it helps. One complements the other. People don’t realize that if you’re going to do something this crazy, do something mellow. Become a painter or a poet, something to nurse the other side.”
