Health v performance

Adult highperformance sport must constantly balance health and performance, but secondary school sport must prioritise health.

Evidence suggests professional, highperformance athletes are at increased risk of a ‘‘high athlete identity’’. This is the degree to which someone defines themself based on their athletic role, and looks to others for confirmation based on that role. This can have both positive and negative consequences.

A performance culture in school sport increases the likelihood of pupils developing a high athlete identity and this has been linked to dropout from sport.

Given only a very small number of pupils will become professional athletes (possibly less than 2%), the potentially negative consequences on mental health are a major concern.

Research in adults and United States college athletes shows greater difficulty adjusting to a lack of sporting success and more frequent psychological issues in people with higher levels of athletic identity.

A recent secondary school rugby study in New Zealand found high performance expectations often led to a fear of failure. The expected commitment was too much alongside academic workloads.

On the physical side, there is real concern about attitudes to injury. The underreporting of concussion in rugby is associated with the perceived importance of a match. More than 50% of players across multiple secondary school sports say they have seen a player play on when they thought they were concussed.

Beyond concussion, 80% of secondary school netball and football players say they have played while injured, and 50% report being pressured to do so. Increased intensity, driven by a performance culture, has also contributed to increased injuries at even earlier ages in intermediate school sport (ages 12 and 13).

Recent data from the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) and Netball New Zealand reveal a rise in injuries in the 1014 age group over the past 10 years.