High performance athletes at school: A study of conflicting demands

This study explores the competing demands on young people who are both high performance athletes yet still at school. 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. The second is the younger age of many competitors, and the third is the increasing requirement in Australian educational jurisdictions for young people to stay at school until they are 17 years old. These school-age high performance athletes have to meet the demands and commitments of being both a full time high school student and a full time athlete. In essence, these young high performance athletes at school are trying to fit two lives into one. The research question thus focuses on two aspects; first, how these young people cope with their dual lives, and second, what are the models of schooling that may best support them in their endeavours.Supporting data: <a href="https://doi.org/10.5064/F6ZP448B">https://doi.org/10.5064/F6ZP448B