Now that the fall season of sports has come to a close, many athletes are making a transition to the next sport or club seasons. There’s a large contrast between the two scenarios, and each offers unique advantages and disadvantages. The debate is whether playing one sport year-round or playing a variety of sports throughout the year is truly the most beneficial; according to Junior Varsity soccer head coach Joey Franchini, players should look to focus on one sport year-round as opposed to multiple sports.

“I believe that kids who alternate sports year-round are at a disadvantage when considering skill level,” Franchini said. “This is because those who play the same sport year-round are constantly improving and refining their skills.”

Franchini understands the positives from alternating sports but stands firmly that paying a club season for one sport is the best option.

“It is healthier for your joints and muscles to play multiple sports rather than focusing on just one,” Franchini said. “But the athlete that focuses on one sport will most likely be more talented than the athlete that only focuses on each port 3-4 months out of a year.”

However, junior Luke Kastran believes that playing multiple sports is more beneficial for several reasons.

“I play soccer, basketball, and baseball. I would recommend playing multiple sports, at least in high school,” Kastran said. “It’s great to be a part of different teams and you make a lot of friends that you might not have made playing only one sport.”

Kastran goes further in describing the physical benefits of playing several sports.

“The advantage of playing multiple sports is you can work different muscles,” Kastran sais. “You notice a difference of where you’re sore when playing basketball than you do in baseball for example. You get stronger in more areas than you would playing only one sport.”

Junior Sydney Jones disagrees in that playing multiple sports is the best option. Jones argues that the experience you gain by playing only one sport is a major advantage.

“I only play volleyball year round,” Jones said. “Kids who play one sport year-round usually have more skills because they are focused on one sport and have more experience.”

Jones goes further in recommending athletes stick to one sport because they get to see the improvement they’ve made in that sport.

“I would probably advise athletes to play one. It’s fun watching yourself improve at one sport you have worked really hard at,” Jones said. “It’s difficult to see that improvement when you are playing multiple sports.”

While Kastran believes that playing multiple sports is the best option he recognizes the pros in playing just one sport.

“I believe kids who specialize in one sport will be better in that sport in the long run,” Kastran said. “But you can get by with athletic ability in high school.”

While Franchini recommends that athletes stick to one sport as it will greatly advance those players skill in that sport, he does recognize the positives of playing a variety of sports.

“Selfishly as a coach, I would probably rather the athlete focus on one sport; that’s what I did,” Franchini said. “The advantages of playing a variety of spots year-round is that it allows the student athlete to obtain more friends, acquire multiple skills in multiple sports, and also be healthier because the athlete is not putting the same stress on the same joints year-round.”

Sophomore Ryan Hegarty understands the positives and negatives of each situation, and while he plays one sport year round he is generally just excited for the transition.

“There’s obviously clear advantages and disadvantages in each situation,” Hegarty said. “I play soccer year round and I’m really excited for the club season to start, however, I’m sure multi-sport athletes are just excited to transition to their next respective sport.”