By Casey Sublette
Copy Editor
Due to increased athletic competition, graduating from high school early can provide students with many athletic advantages.
There are 24 states with early graduation policies that offer students programs to complete their credits early. Of these states, only five offer financial incentives to students who decide to leave high school early. The primary early graduation sport is football, which had 141 early graduate recruits in 2010, according to a study done by USA Today. This number has increased since 2010, with Division I schools, like those in the Southeastern Conference, leading the recruitment.
Graduating high school early allows upcoming athletes to get a jump start on learning plays and techniques for their collegiate team and better prepares athletes for extensive spring training. These benefits naturally place athletes in a better position to prosper during their career with a collegiate team.
While some early graduates, like football kicker Cade Foster of Alabama, finished their collegiate careers with high failure ratings, football safety Kenny Ladler of Vanderbilt is a prime example of the benefits early graduation provides. After graduating high school in December of his senior year, Ladler enrolled in Vanderbilt and became a starter. He was named to the 2010 SEC All-Freshman team. These two athletes demonstrate the range of outcomes possible with early graduation.
While football seems to be the primary sport for early graduation, other fall sports should join the trend. Many athletic programs could benefit from the extra time an athlete could spend with collegiate programs, which could provide additional experience and lead to stronger recruiting class sizes.
Although graduating early can be a risky process when it comes to athletics, it can also provide benefits. In any sport, injury is a factor and can affect many athletes regardless of their level. However, early admission to schools will give athletes more time to develop the proper technique and form for weight lifting and field training, which can help them to prevent injury, according to the University of Rochester Medical Center.
Costa Principal Dr. Ben Dale believes that early graduation can help athletes adapt to their new surroundings and get ahead on college curriculums; however, Dale does not see it as a necessity at Costa.
The Manhattan Beach Unified School District offers early graduation, but only through Independent Study. The credits received while in the program are accepted by colleges, but the IS program may not be the right fit for all students trying to graduate early.
The district should start a program to help students with aspirations of graduating early, one that offers credits earlier in the students’ high school careers in addition to credits that can be earned through online classes. The introduction of this type of program in MBUSD could help establish Costa as a competitive and highly-ranked athletic recruiting school.
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