By Ashley Cox, Special to Pine Whispers

The student-athlete walks down the tunnel lugging a heavy and bulky sports bag for practice after school, dreading the thought of dressing out for second-period gym class, forming the question once again: “Should I really have to take gym in high school?”

Included in the requirements to graduate from a Winston-Salem/Forsyth County high school is two units of Physical Education along with a unit of Life Management Skills and a unit of Health. Student-athletes, who on average have about two hours of exercise after school with games and practices, also have to fulfill these requirements. Some think this may not be necessary and others say PE classes are still beneficial to those students who play sports.

Amy Williams, a guidance counselor at Reynolds High School, does not think student-athletes should have to take gym.

“I think athletes should get credit for playing a school sport,” Williams said. “They learn the goals of PE in the sports they play and they are certainly staying physically fit.”

An idea to replace the gym credits for athletes specifically would be giving them a study hall. Rising sophomore Carson Tuttle wishes athletes could opt out of gym and likes the idea of study hall.

“I would definitely like to have one because I could get my homework done,” Tuttle said. “Some days I am very stressed out with my school work. Sports make me use the time I have wisely and it would lessen my work load.”

Some think gym is still beneficial to student-athletes, including Billy Martin, the varsity men’s basketball coach and a gym teacher at Reynolds. Martin was a student-athlete in high school and thinks that every student should take gym.

“Gym teaches students how to become physically fit and make choices to stay that way for life,” Martin said.

He added that a study hall would be beneficial to athletes, but also said that being an athlete is a privilege: “Being an athlete carries a lot of responsibilities in itself and is a demanding workload on the individual. Without academics, a student doesn’t and shouldn’t have the opportunity to participate in athletics.”

Rising sophomore Matthew Ball also said gym is beneficial to all students.

“Since we work in school all day, we need time to get exercise and take a break from our classes,” Ball said.

Ball also agreed that a study hall would be useful. Another idea that would replace the gym credits for student-athletes would be specific strength and agility classes.

“I think there should be specific courses created so that athletes could get the proper training needed,” Martin said.

While Williams agreed that, “It would be helpful to athletes so they could perform better, be stronger and perhaps even prevent injuries,” she also explained that this idea would be very difficult to work into the master schedule and to work around required academic classes.

Although the requirement to take gym still stands, staying active – no matter if it’s in the gym or on the field – “helps maintain and improve our health and is a good stress-management tool,” Williams said.

Cox is a rising sophomore. She wrote this story as her final project for Introduction to Journalism.