According to Sports Engine Play, about 70% of athletes drop out of their sport by the age of 13; and throughout high school, the number of athletes joining that statistic only grows. Whether it be because of burnout, mental health, coaches, family or other factors, young athletes are falling out of love with their sport.

In Northern Virginia, pressure is inescapable. It comes from teachers, parents, coaches, teammates and friends, with the list only increasing as athletes grow up. In fact, according to News Decoder, up to 35% of elite athletes suffer from extreme mental health crises, such as depression, anxiety and eating disorders. The constant expectation to do better, to do more, to be the best never stops. Oftentimes, student athletes load their plates with activity after activity in order to meet the standards set for them. This is what happened to Sophia Dougherty, a former Madison dancer who left the team after deciding that she didn’t have enough time.

“I quit Madison dance because I enjoy dancing at my studio better and by quitting Madison, I have time to do more teams at my studio as well as junior coach the younger kids at my studio,” Dougherty (‘26) said.

The hyper-competitive nature of Madison sports demands a time commitment that leaves little room for athletes to play their sport outside of school, leading to them leave the Madison team. Athletes like Dougherty have found more freedom in scaling back their involvement in Madison sports, but what about those who chose to stop competition altogether? Brynn Openshaw, a retired swimmer, has experience in this area.

“As more kids did summer swim (I could not, my family always traveled), and practiced a lot more than me, I realized that I was one of the worst girl swimmers in my age group,” Openshaw (‘26) said. “I then realized I was not having fun at all, and swim was more of a pain to do because practices/competitions became more geared for helping the swimmers win. I was not athletic enough to do a lot of the practices, and decided that the trouble was not worth it. So I quit swim, and now I just swim for fun with my friends! I’m definitely happier because of it.”

Openshaw’s experience may not have been identical to Dougherty’s, but what drove them out of sports was lack of time and an over-competitive environment. As teenagers grow up in the world of sports, these two factors essentially decide the fate of their athletic endeavors. And for many, that fate is falling out of love with the sport they once called their home.