Student Athletes Work to Find a Balance With Sports and Student Life

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Student athletes have to work hard not only at their sport, but at finding a balance between athletics, school and family responsibilities.

Ellie Roberts, Staff Reporter
November 2, 2021

Wake up late.

Go through the school day.

Practice right after school. 

Go home.

Eat. 

Shower. 

Study for hours. 

Sleep.

Playing a sport and going to school is a lot more difficult to balance than it may seem.   and the balance looks different for every student athlete.  Student athletes often struggle to find time to succeed academically, athletically, and socially, while also getting the rest that they need to stay healthy. 

Emily Kessler, a junior at GCHS, is a busy student.  She not only participates in lacrosse, but Kessler juggles teen court, Beta, advisory, and works at Kohl’s outside of school. Kessler said “It can be extremely difficult to get everything done, and my activities require a lot of time, but it is possible to fit everything in.”

Going to school and practicing five to six days a week does not leave a lot of time for other things.  There is a lot for athletes to get done and a lot of times that does not include any time for breaks. Kaelyn Faul, a senior volleyball player, admitted that her sport requires a large amount of her time.  She stated “We are in the gym working, whether it’s a game or practice, almost every weekday and many weekends as well.” 

Many athletes struggle to find some time to enjoy things outside of athletic requirements. Faul has other responsibilities than just being a student athlete.  She said that between work, school, volleyball, and clubs, there is less time to spend with family and friends making a social life seem very difficult. “It is really hard to keep friends outside of sports because there is rarely enough time to spend with them.  It’s hard for them to understand, but sometimes there is just not enough room in my schedule,” she explained.

GCHS sophomore Kennedy Wagoner, values time with her family and friends.  While she enjoys family time, she also appreciates the time spent with teammates. Wagoner said, “Even though it makes it more difficult to build relationships with people outside of sports, some of the best ones are made in the gym with teammates.”

All the practice time, training, sweat, and tears that go into being a student athlete can be extremely draining. But is all the work worth it? Faul believes it is. She said, “Although there are times when it is extremely tough, we push through and get the job done. It’s truly a rewarding experience because at the end of it all, I get to look back and think, I just did that.”