As an active member of the Hillsdale College Track and Field team, I think I speak for all athletes who attend Hillsdale College when I say that Physical Wellness Dynamics is an unnecessary and potentially harmful course requirement for varsity sport members.
Upon my arrival at Hillsdale last year, I was dumbfounded to find out that I was required to be in a class that entails students to swim, bike, and run. This is not because we athletes aren’t capable of doing these activities or that we are just too lazy to do so, but rather, that the purpose of these exercises is for precisely that, exercise, which I do believe we get our fair share of and more on a daily basis.
Having two-and-a-half hour practices five to six times a week for 37 weeks out of the year is exceeding the goal of Physical Wellness Dynamics. I do believe that it can be beneficial for those not involved in a varsity sport on campus to partake in some form of exercise at least two times a week as this course requires, but athletes must complete this in addition to their own sport’s demanding workouts. We aren’t learning anything by being there.
Those opposed to my proposal may argue that more exercise is never a bad thing, but as someone in track, I disagree. Our coaches formulate specific fitness programs depending on the time of year in relation to our season.
In the fall, we prepare for the indoor track season. Then during indoor season, we train our bodies to be prepared for our meet schedule, which is usually one meet each weekend. Immediately following the indoor season, we transition into outdoor, which has just as demanding of a schedule as indoor season. Other sports teams are training in the off-season to prepare for the season, and training hard once in as well. There is no complete down time. If we exercise more, this can only tire us for our practices later that day, or even set us back in our training because we could be overworked. Physical Wellness robbed Jack Butler, a varsity cross country athlete, of his indoor GLIAC opportunity. While in the swimming unit of the course, Jack aggravated his hamstring — an essential muscle group necessary to run. As a result, Jack had to watch from the sidelines. No student-athlete should ever be even remotely at risk for potential harm in his actual athletic pursuits from a redundant class teaching him things he already has to know by virtue of being an athlete.
Competing at a Division II caliber requires an athlete to be disciplined, committed, and diligent. We understand and perform sports at one of the highest levels in the country, which is why physical wellness dynamics is an unnecessary class that is potentially detrimental to our bodies and can greatly impact our performance.
