The girls’ freshman basketball team had a full roster during the 2010-2011 season. However, two seniors from that same team are playing this year.

According to athletic director Andy Ewald, there is a general trend at Park where many students stop playing and participating by their senior year. Ewald said there are multiple factors for students quitting their sports.

“I think that many students burn-out and stop playing because they choose other priorities over sports including jobs and other activities,” Ewald said. “Seniors may also stop playing because their role on the team is different than expected.”

According to Minnesota-Score.net, the boys’ basketball team has no varsity senior players this season and the volleyball team only has one senior on its entire varsity roster this season.

For senior Maria Brandel, time was a key reason that led to her decision to quit the track and field team this year.

“I wanted to make sure I would have free time this year, but by joining track I would have an obligation every day after school,” Brandel said. “I have a gym membership at LA Fitness, so I’ll be able to exercise on my own time.”

Ewald said the number of seniors playing sports changes each year, so it is hard for the athletic department to predict senior participation.

“The trend changes for different classes, and the number of seniors participating ebbs and flows depending on the class of kids,” Ewald said. “This year, for example, 13 members of the boys’ hockey team are juniors, so there will most likely be a large class of seniors.”

Senior Andy Haroldson, who played hockey for 12 years, said he decided not to participate for his last year of high school. His other activities, combined with his role on the team, were factors contributing to his decision to not play for the team.

“I feel like I didn’t belong on the varsity level, but I also didn’t think I would have fit on junior varsity either,” Haroldson said. “I chose to be on the Nordic team instead because there wasn’t as much pressure.”

Ewald said athletics are still very popular, but he wishes seniors continued playing their sports into their final year of high school.

“Participation numbers for sports are still strong at Park, and there isn’t a huge glaring difference in the number of seniors who play,” Ewald said. “In an ideal world, I would love to see everybody participate until the end, however, seniors are also  young adults. In real life, the other factors have a significant impact on the decision to stop playing.”