Students may believe that being a high school athlete is exciting. Indeed, being a student-athlete often comes with popularity, school spirit and achievements. While these moments are rewarding, they only show part of the story. Behind every game is a student trying to balance school, sports and life.
For student athletes, the day starts early and ends late. After spending hours in class, student athletes head straight to practice, workouts or games. By the time they get home, they still have homework, projects, and tests to study for, often resulting in going to sleep late, past their usual bedtime. “It was incredibly challenging during the hockey season to stay awake during class because our games ended pretty late and I had unfinished homework leftover that would take a pretty long time to complete,” junior Evan Batbold said.
The pressure of being a student athlete is intense. Not only do these athletes want to perform well in their sport, they are also expected to maintain good grades. It can be stressful when a big game and an important assessment happen in the same week. As a result, learning time management becomes one of the most important skills an athlete can develop.
Sophomore Adam Epstein can relate. “On the ride to lacrosse practice, I had to do my homework so that I had enough time to study for other classes,” Epstein said.
With the AP season in the spring, athletes who play spring sports have to add another chunk of studying. “It was so challenging during the lacrosse season because I had to relearn a whole year’s worth of content in a few weeks while also enduring the long physical practices and still the loads of homework,” junior Blake Williams said.
Another challenge is the sacrifices that athletes make. While students spend weekends relaxing after a long week of school, student athletes often spend that time traveling to games, doing school work and practicing. As a student athlete myself, I can agree how hard these sacrifices are because having fun and being relaxed is more enjoyable than working. But these athletes have to and have realized that it’s part of the commitment. As boys’ varsity lacrosse head coach Daniel Phillips said, “It separates the good from the best.”
Despite these challenges, we shouldn’t forget that these student athletes participate in sports because they enjoy it. Sports create relationships, experiences, memories and physical activity. Additionally, it teaches multiple valuable lessons, including responsibility, teamwork and perseverance. These qualities can also help them succeed not only in sports but also in college, careers and everyday life.
Although people think being a student athlete is all about excitement, the reality is much more complex. Behind every game and every achievement are hours of sacrifice, hard work and dedication. While sports provide unforgettable opportunities and experiences, they require a high level of commitment that people don’t see. Being a student athlete is far from easy and those who balance both academics and athletics deserve recognition.
