Many students juggle a variety of activities, but few have more on their plate than a student-athlete. Balancing hours of schoolwork with practices and games can wear an athlete down and make them overwhelmed by the pressure to perform well both academically and in sports.
In general, student-athletes must be disciplined to balance their academics and sports. Both take up large amounts of time and energy, so it is necessary to be diligent to keep up with schoolwork.
“Making sure I get all my work done in time and trying to do [so] as early as possible, because I know when I have practice or games so I can’t use that time for school,” varsity field hockey captain Bridget Rich said.
However, even with sufficient time management, both school and sports can still become stressful. FHS senior and varsity tennis co-captain, Emily Nelson, describes how to deal with this.
“Actually, tennis, even though it was kind of contributing to my stress in a way, it was also kind of a time when I can just socialize and to play a sport that I love,” Nelson said.
Sometimes, even when school and sports together wear on one’s mental health, it can be helpful to take a day off. When sports become too hard due to physical exhaustion from academics and athletics, taking the day off can be the best option.
“If it gets to a point where I can’t practice then I’ll just take that day off then I’ll go back the next day,” JV football player Max De Araujo said.
Other student-athletes motivate themselves through physical exhaustion with motivational self-talk. This can be helpful to calm them down when they become stressed or overwhelmed.
“[I] just [remind] myself that I can take breaks, I can ask for an extension on assignments,” Rich said.
Relying on family and friends to help ease the burden in stressful situations can also be effective. Parents and friends can comfort and help athletes when they go through stress.
“Yesterday, I lost my first set of my match and by the second set, I was really tired and I kind of felt like giving up but some of my friends came to support me and so I kind of relied on them a little bit,” Nelson said. “I would turn to them and be like, ‘I can’t do this’ and then they were really supportive.”
Being a student-athlete can oftentimes be an exhausting responsibility. However, the sacrifice yields the reward of a loving community of other student-athletes who are there to support their teammates and struggle through their hardships together. Though being a student-athlete has its ups and downs, the experiences they make in these formative years of their lives will stay with them forever.
