Sebastian Cruz
Morton Swim meet. Swimmer in picture - Bianca Nicolas
Endurance sports like Swimming and Cross-Country aren’t getting a lot of attention. Why?
“Physical activity like swimming greatly benefits individuals who take part in it. Physically you are getting stronger, mentally and emotionally you are gaining confidence about yourself and your abilities and overcoming difficult obstacles, and by joining a swim team you are meeting other individuals who are like you and this greatly improve your social health,” according to Morton swim and dive coach McGlennon. Morton east students were surveyed the question, “If you would have known about swimming or cross country would you have supported them?” about 80% of them said they would have and 20% said they would not.
“Swimming and cross country may get less attention for a few reasons. Swimming is not a popular sport in the community. Also, many Morton students don’t know how to swim. Our swim meets are long, and while I am very excited to watch the swimmer’s race, if you don’t know what is going on, it’s not super exciting to watch someone swim back and forth. Cross country is also not an ideal sport to watch because you can’t watch the entire race. The runners go off and run on a course and then come back,” said Coach Bartosz.
The unpopularity of the sports aren’t only limited to schools, they also branch off into the professional aspects of the sport.
“I think swimming and cross country get less attention because it is not one of the major sports covered in media. I truly think that during the years where the Olympics are televised, that more students come out for swimming. I’m not sure about cross-country. In addition to that, swimming and cross-country are two of the tougher sports to participate in. I think that this detracts students from wanting to be a part of it,” said Coach McGlennon.
There are however, in some people’s eyes, ways that we could promote these sports more effectively to catch the attentions of others.
“Gain more attention on the Morton page, make use of the Morton Instagram page or flyers around the school,” said senior swimmer Leyla Rueda.
Students just don’t find these sports entertaining, so in what ways are these sports failing to catch most of their attention.
“I think they (swimming and cross country) get less attention because they’re less competitive in the eyes of the people watching. It’s also a faster sport with most of the time waiting for them to set up. They could promote better by using the socials of Morton and school announcements,” said junior Marifer Charola.
Multiple students don’t even know about the sport or how to join, some say there are better methods to inform students about the current active sports.
“Swimming and Cross country get less attention because not many know when (they) start or how to join, if it was announced people would be more alert of it. During the year people can put out fliers so many more can see certain events or tryout for it,” said Salvador Viramontes