I’ve heard it argued that marching band should be counted as physical education (PE) credit, but if it’s an extracurricular, can you really do that? I watched my older brother march all through high school and it’s undoubtedly hard work. Long, hot days throughout the summer and during football season, which doubles as marching season, surely make for good exercise.

However, when asking if band can be counted as a PE credit, it begs the question: what about other sports?

The point of a physical education class is for students to do some sort of exercise and to learn about different ways to stay healthy and keep your body moving. Athletes learn these same things and get their exercise in while they play their sport of choice, and usually get even more rigorous of a workout.

I took weightlifting last year for soccer, and the regular PE students would walk around the track in the gym while we warmed up. Just from my observations, they didn’t get near as much out of walking and messing around in the gym as my team does at practice. So, if athletes get more out of a sports practice than PE students do in the class, it makes sense that the sport would count as the class.

Looking from the administration’s perspective, sports aren’t required and it makes sense that if it isn’t required, it wouldn’t count. However, student-athletes represent our school at numerous events and should be acknowledged for their hard work. It only makes it harder on athletes’ bodies when they have to lift weights for an hour during school and then go to a practice that, depending on the sport, can last upwards of an hour and a half.

To add onto the physical stress, these same students have to find time between classes and practices to do homework. Naturally, student-athletes are held to a higher standard than other students because they are expected to balance schoolwork and sports, but their hard work should still be recognized.

Student-athletes are expected to take a class that tires out their bodies, go to rigorous practice and then go home and do hours of homework. These students are working incredibly hard and this should be acknowledged by being allowed to use their sport of choice as a PE credit. For students that don’t participate in a school sport, PE is a great way to get physical activity in. There is just no reason for student-athletes, who are already getting a healthy amount of daily exercise, to have to take a PE or weightlifting class in addition.