When the Flame Flickers: Burnout in MGCNLCA Student Varsities
We all have an athlete whom we admire, mostly because of their skill, hard work, achievements, or even their sheer dominance in the competition. We watch them, mimic their playing style, and cheer for them in any match they compete in. We don’t realize the constant pressure they are under to keep up with the competition or maintain their rank and success in the game. These factors drive aspiring players to physical, mental, and even emotional exhaustion. This phenomenon is commonly referred to as burnout. It’s difficult to imagine what this looks like until we’ve put in the blood, sweat, and tears to achieve something. This can happen at any stage of life, in school, at home, at work, and especially within sports.
Believe it or not, many student varsity members in MGCNLCA experience burnout. The love for the sport hasn’t changed, but the motivation to be competitive has been lost. People rarely experience burnout if they only play the game for fun. But players who train in sports varsities and are serious about winning play much more of a mental battle than we may realize.
For those of us who have been training seriously and tirelessly for a long time, we’ve certainly contemplated why we should even stay in varsity. Why not enjoy the sport as it is instead of having the pressure to improve and win? Many regular students would rather just devote their time to playing a sport during lunch or break time instead of tiring themselves out training for three or more hours after an already stressful day of class.
Something common among varsity members in school is how rarely anyone would want to train. They would all say that they don’t want to practice, but they want to play the game. Everyone has reasons for being burnt out; maybe it’s because of the intense training, the lack of visible improvement, the overwhelming competition in the sport, or even a lack of tournaments and competitions.
When asked about his personal experience with burnout, Dominic Wong (Gr. 11 ABM), a former swimming varsity member shared, “For me, when we came back from the pandemic, the first few months were exciting, but after a while, I started getting frustrated with my progress. For 6 months, I found swimming to be a chore instead of an escape from stress at school. Eventually, I decided to retire and leave the swimming varsity; I felt that my heart was not in it anymore.” However, Wong also mentioned that because he decided to leave the varsity, other doors opened for him, as he could fully pursue basketball and other hobbies.
It’s important to consider whether our heart is still in the game or if our passion has moved on to other things. Badminton varsity player Amanda Ching (Gr. 11 ABM) mentioned “Being burnt out is quite a serious case for athletes, and though it may seem trivial at times, one’s career is strictly determined after this phase.”
Personally, having trained in the school’s badminton varsity for nine years, one thing will always remain the same, and that is the feeling of playing your best in a sport. When all the adrenaline starts flowing through the body, all its senses are boosted to their maximum capacity. The mind is fully zoned in, and nothing in the world could ever stop that point from being scored; that’s when it becomes clear that it was worth it all along. Win or lose, the work put in wasn’t a waste after all. This is what sports is all about. It’s the competitiveness that keeps the sport alive, and those who persevere and work hard are those who come out on top.
Somewhere down the line, we will all experience a lack of motivation to do something. As sports varsity members, there will be times when there seems to be no reason to train so hard, or even play competitively. Just remember, when feelings of doubt and the will to give up come about, take a step back, relax, and most importantly, recall what made you fall in love with the sport in the first place.
