College is undoubtedly a big expense and a small number of high school students are relying on athletic scholarships to help pay for their college education. Getting an athletic scholarship requires a lot of sacrifice and dedication throughout an athlete’s high school and college career. According to www.cbsnews.com, 2 percent of all high school athletes will receive a college scholarship, and the average scholarship is less than $11,000.

Those who receive athletic scholarships certainly have to work hard and some high school athletes feel that it is not worth the sacrifice. “It takes away from the traditional college experience,” said junior, Haley Jack, “The only things you can focus on are school and that sport.”

High school faculty, such as the counselors, certainly know what it takes for a student to get a college scholarship. “They will mainly need to sacrifice some of their leisure time and they will need to sacrifice some of the things that people their age often do with their leisure time,” said Mr. Buikema.

While some high school athletes are not willing to sacrifice enough of their time to get an athletic scholarship, others see the benefit of continuing to play sports in college. “Yes, they are worth the work,” said junior, Logan Van Reken. “Not only will you be able to play the sport you love, but you also can make friendships and bonds with your teammates throughout college.”

When asked about whether or not the reward is worth the sacrifice, Mr. Chilman was clear that it depends on the person. “Any endeavor is worth the sacrifice if it is legal, moral, and you have the passion and you have the time and it is kept in perspective,” said Chilman, “Being a college athlete is so much more demanding than being a high school athlete, however, the demands of the athlete are not any greater than that of any extra endeavor.”

Whether or not an athlete decides to continue playing sports after high school is up to them and there are certainly a lot of factors to consider. Students at Faith have an opportunity to use the resources and facilities provided by the school to improve in the sport of their choice and learn more about their options.