I have been an athlete for most of my life, whether it be church sports leagues or high school and collegiate level athletics. I ave gone from soccer to basketball to gymnastics to a failed attempt at water polo and now track. Track has been the longest standing sport and the most competitive one that I have been involved in. The hardest thing truly has not been the intensity of the sport but the lifestyle that comes alone with it.
Being a student athlete is not an easy task and not everyone can do it. I have had many challenges balancing how much time to devote to my sport and how much time to set aside for school. In the end, my academics always come first and luckily most coaches understand that. Especially when at a high school or collegiate level, grades come first because a certain gpa and letter grades are needed to be maintained to compete. In high school I had a much harder time trying to maintain grades and school because come on, it's high school. All free time is spent with friends and out doing anything other than school work. Nobody wants to miss out on any social event so it was hard for me to find the motivation to balance my time wisely. College though, is surprisingly much easier.
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The best thing about being a college athlete is that so many others are in the same boat as you and they can all relate to what you are going through. Everyone, whether they are in a sport or not, always has homework and tests and papers to write. They all share in the suffering together. Sure, sometimes you have to miss out on something fun because of that big assignment you let go until the last minute, but odds are so does half of the other kids in that class. College truly is a great time for fun and memories but the sole purpose for being there is to get an education and get the basic foundation for starting ones career. Some things I have learned is that you can never start an assignment too early. And the earlier the better! Getting work done earlier is good for everyone especially student athletes because then when we are gone at meets or tournaments and in practice until 6pm, we don't have to worry about having a huge work load. I have made this harder on myself by also getting a job on top of being a student athlete. Luckily in a college town most employers are flexible with student's schedules and I can make it work but it does add some extra stress. I have to make sure work does not interfere with track meets or practice or any big essays/projects to do.
Amidst all the stress, I find such joy in the life I live. Through athletics I have met my very best friends and experienced some great life lessons through the challenges that this busy schedule has brought me. I would not trade this life for anything!
