If you play any school sponsored sport at San Luis Obispo High School, you’re automatically exempt from taking Physical Education (PE), but what about the ones that don’t? Students who partake solely in an after school sport are still forced to enroll in two trimesters of PE up until their junior year, yet most spend hours upon hours training in their free time. Does the school not deem a sport important unless you’re advertising the Tiger brand, or do they simply not acknowledge the effort students put in on their own time?

“I think that if students are training and working hard for at least two hours almost every day, then they [the school] should count it as PE credit,” said sophomore Daniel Duffy.

Looking past the students own accomplishments, it almost seems like the school is only satisfied knowing that anyone who’s not part of the ‘Tiger army’ can at least sweat like they are, while in gym class.

“I’m a fan of rugby over most sports, but because it’s not part of the school. I have to take PE or play another sport at school, which is inconvenient and time consuming,” said Duffy, who had to take a trimester of PE. “I either go to [rugby] practice to train with my team or train by myself every day for a minimum of two to three hours to stay in shape.”

I personally believe that PE shouldn’t be mandatory for people working hard and training after school to further better themselves. Having witnessed firsthand how hard people practice on their own time, it seems totally unreasonable to tell students it doesn’t count for a physical education credit.