What is the Hardest High School Sport?

Whether you’re a varsity athlete or just watching from the stands, high school sports are an excellent way to stay active. In addition to getting your heart pumping, they can help make you a better student and give you more confidence as an adult.

But if you’re looking for a sport that will leave your body completely spent, you might be wondering which one is the hardest. To find out, the Coloradoan asked a few local coaches and a health and exercise science instructor at Colorado State University to weigh in on what makes a sport hard.

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Wrestling

With its pinning and pinfall tactics, wrestling is a physical and mental challenge that many athletes say takes more than just skill. To compete in the sport, a wrestler must be disciplined and work through grueling hours of workouts.

To wrestlers, the build-up to stepping on the scale during weigh-ins is nothing short of a stressful experience. For most of the season, weight classes have no room for error and wrestlers must keep an eye on their bodies to avoid going over their limits.

Even with that, a wrestler’s body takes a pounding during practice and in the weeks leading up to the weight-in process. Senior Cade Solito, who wrestles in the 195-pound class at Decatur, said balancing his practice and schoolwork during a busy season is difficult.

Soccer

Players on a soccer team run 4-7 miles each game, which requires endurance, athleticism and strength. But the game also demands a lot of mental toughness because if a player makes a mistake, it could cost the team.

Football

While it’s not as physically demanding as soccer or lacrosse, football is still a tough sport because of the contact it entails. Plus, you’re competing against a variety of other players for a spot on the field.

Gymnastics

The most common reason people participate in this sport is to be competitive, but it is also an extremely challenging sport to master. It takes enormous agility, stamina, balance, discipline and coordination to become a top-level gymnast.

The sport can be challenging to play, but it’s also a lot of fun. But the truth is, not every high school athlete makes it to the collegiate level or goes on to play professionally.