High performance athletes at high school: A study in conflicting demands

This paper introduces research which explores the competing demands on young people who are both high performance athletes yet still at school. How they cope, and what models of schooling may best support them are the main questions. Three phenomena have resulted in a growing number of school students who are also high performance athletes. One is the increasing range and number of international sports competitions; second is the younger age of many competitors; and the third is the requirement for young people to stay at school until they are 17 years old. These young people have to meet the demands and commitments of being both a full time high school student and a full time high performance athlete. In essence, these young high performace athletes at school are trying to fit two lives into one. This paper introduces the study which is qualitative, within an interpretivist paradigm. Using in-depth interviews and field observations to gather data, the research aims to develop theory around the conflicting needs of the high school, high performance athlete. These young people go well beyond the ordinary in their endeavours and understanding better their situations and possible predicaments may welll help them to cope better in their demanding lives.Supporting data: <a href="https://doi.org/10.5064/F6ZP448B">https://doi.org/10.5064/F6ZP448B