BY ASHLYN COHEN
In high school, students encounter difficult situations when trying to achieve both the academic and athletic lifestyle to a point where it can become overwhelming.
Finding the balance between practices, training, homework and studying can antagonize a student’s stress level and mental health. Having understanding teachers and a manageable workload can relieve anxiety.
“As a softball player, it can be difficult to balance sports and school,” sophomore Daniella Nino said. “Everyday after school I have practice and I always get home late. I’m left with tons of assignments and studying for school which can become extremely stressful and exhausting.”
Nino explains that keeping organized is a key element to maintaining the boatload of work that can occur for student athletes like herself. She also reveals that making sure to keep in contact early with your teachers about your schedule to see if you can accommodate any extensions if needed.
Most teachers should be understanding about your situation for sports if you are willing to communicate early in advance.
“It’s very challenging to be a student athlete,” freshman Alex Totarsky said. “I don’t have a lot of time to complete it because I have soccer practice 4-5 days a week. Therefore, doing homework feels like a time crunch, making it hard to get it all done.”
Having little spurts of time to complete an assignment can lead to rushed work, that may not display a student’s maximum potential.
“I end up finishing homework around midnight leaving me with little to no sleep,” Totarsky said. “Sleep is such an important element of being active and staying focused throughout the day,”
Tortarsky explains that being sleep deprived after a long day of activities and school, can result in slacking during class and sports.
Time-management skills are a huge component to stabilizing the stress load from school and sports. Making sure you take advantage of free time, using it to get work done, and studying complete can weigh down the workload.
Not procrastinating and staying on top of your classes can ease the build-up of assignments and make up work.
“As a soccer and softball player, it’s all about responsibility and managing your time well, when it comes down to sports and school, you always put school first,” sophomore Izabella Carrabba said. “At the same time I am very passionate about sports but it’s very time consuming and stressful to balance both.”
Having a passion for sports especially when solely depending on athletics for any future scholarships can be a tedious process. Thus, being able to redress the balance really helps to become successful in both athletics and academics.
