Loyola is known for many things, but its strong athletic tradition stands out as a key part of its identity. Throughout its history, Loyola has won 71 CIF titles across all sports and claimed the Commissioner’s Cup 10 times. Representing Loyola requires dedication, hard work across its many teams, and a commitment to upholding the school’s proud tradition of excellence—something to be celebrated, not discouraged. While students are students first, they also have added responsibilities as student-athletes. Loyola student-athletes sacrifice many things to help their team be successful and represent the school to the best of their abilities.
Loyola Water Polo player Dashel Pimentel ‘27 explained, “I had multiple 6 a.m. practices for Water Polo during the fall, and then the other days, we had games late after school. I didn’t get home until after 9 PM, and then I still had to eat dinner, shower, and finish multiple assignments.”
Although this is all part of the commitment that student-athletes choose to make at Loyola when they sign up to join a sports team, they should still be given more academic flexibility to balance their schedule.
AP World History teacher and Freshman Lacrosse Coach Levi Line agrees. He stated, “Yes, student-athletes should get more academic flexibility, but if leniency is given to athletes, we also need to recognize that other students on campus, like theater for example, work long hours.”
He mentioned how Lacrosse practices have been shifted to mornings to give students more time in the afternoon.
One of the many great things about Loyola is the amount of extracurricular opportunities, such as athletics, theater, and speech and debate. Many students choose to attend Loyola over other schools because of these programs, but if Loyola encourages students to participate in activities that require significant time outside of school, it should also allow for more flexibility when they miss class or assignments.
Teenagers in today’s world are already stressed out, with countless hours of homework, multiple tests to study for, and the challenge of developing relationships among their many pressures. While students do need to learn how to manage their time and multiple commitments as they grow older, they can greatly benefit from a slight extension on an assignment to help ease their stress and take something off of their plate.
It could be argued that a student should quit other commitments to focus on academics, but playing sports for Loyola allows students to become more well-rounded and create new friendships that they wouldn’t have made otherwise. Playing sports also allows students to take their minds off of schoolwork and focus on something else, so quitting to prioritize academics could have a negative impact.
Students may be somewhat unreasonable in expecting homework extensions for club team practices or tournaments. However, those representing Loyola in sports, alongside their classmates, deserve leniency and flexibility from teachers on assignment due dates.