By Dan Cardone

Have you ever had an athlete who wanted to play two sports during one season? Contributor Dan Cardone, Athletic Director at North Hills High School in Pittsburgh, Pa., shares his philosophy on athletes playing multiple sports in a single season.

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I received a call from a fellow athletic director recently, asking if we had a policy regarding a student-athlete playing two sports during the same season. I told him we had no such policy and make decisions on a case-by-case basis.

That phone call took me back to all those requests from parents in past years who wanted their child to participate in multiple sports in a season. If encouraged, they seem surprised this could be possible. When discouraged, they quickly point out that the philosophy of the school district is one that encourages maximum participation.

“My daughter wants to play tennis and golf and they are both offered during the fall sports season. Can she do it?” This sort of request is usually initiated by the parents who are reluctant to have their child forgo a sport in which they demonstrate potential. When we sat down to look at the season schedules, we encountered a number of conflicts. So we came to an understanding that in this case it was best for the student-athlete to stick with playing tennis at the interscholastic level, and to continue to pursue golf as a hobby.

Football coaches will often search the soccer ranks to see if there is an athlete who can perform the kicking duties under the Friday night lights. In this scenario, it is sometimes appealing or even flattering for a parent to have a football coach recruit their child. I know firsthand of soccer players turned football players who have obtained partial scholarships in football at the intercollegiate level.

When approached by parents on this subject, I found myself directing questions to them, rather than me answering the majority of the questions.
Some questions that I have asked the parents regarding their child playing two sports in one season:

1. Do you understand that this is not easy to do and it takes a special person to fulfill all of the time requirements?
2. Are you willing and able to transport your child from one practice site to the other site and sometimes even to an opponent's venue?
3. Have you approached the coaches of the primary sport of the athlete, and do they feel it is feasible?
4. Have you discussed this with your child, and is this something they want to do?
5. What is the underlying reason this is being pursued?

After asking my questions, I typically leave the decision up to the parents. After all, they are the ones who have to provide transportation between practices, juggle schedules with other family members, and wash more uniforms.

Some sports lend to dual participation better than others. I have found that soccer and football pair well together. The boys’ soccer teams play on Tuesday and Thursday and the girls on Monday and Wednesday, so on their off-days the male or female player can be a part of the special teams sessions.

Soccer matches are not normally scheduled on Fridays, so this lends to performing kicking duties for home and away games without conflict. What does not work well are those sports that can be physically and mentally demanding on the athlete. Cross country is a sport that requires a regimented training schedule, and this sport takes a toll on the body’s ability to recover.

Coaches have to be on board with an athlete who wants to do two sports. They may require players to be at practice everyday, so they have to balance this rule with the other team members. If the players see that the addition of this athlete can help the squad be successful, then they are more apt to buy into it. Track is an individual sport, so if offered in the spring it can work for a baseball or softball player. In the winter, swimming can be paired with another sport if morning practices are offered.

What is the upside of having a student-athlete participate in two sports in one season? I believe that it can be rewarding for the student athlete in question to accomplish something that may not have seemed attainable. There are athletes who can earn four letters in one year, and perhaps 12 over a high school career!

We have a tendency to track younger and younger athletes into a particular sport. There is still room in high school sports to have someone who really just loves to compete, and do it in a number of scenarios. As long as everyone is on board and understands what they are about to embark upon, then I say go for it!

Dan Cardone is Athletic Director at North Hills High School in Pittsburgh, Pa. He is a frequent contributor to Athletic Management.

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