The Struggle is Real

By: Sean Turcotte | Writer  & Zac Skov | Writer

September 27, 2017

The word “school” alone can be one of the most terrifying things to hear. The books that seem to weigh a thousand pounds, the endless papers, and rigid chairs that keep students chained to one spot. All of the constant homework and countless tests surmount to unbearable pressure and stress, that most cannot seem to cope with.

Imagine all of that weight on your shoulders, but double it.

Now you know what it’s like to be a student-athlete.

Playing a sport on top of school, is truly an amazing feat, that goes unrecognized. For most the relief is felt once the last bell rings, and school is over. However, for a student-athlete, the day has only begun.

After school, comes 3-4 hours of running, swimming, and some times hitting. All of which require a certain amount of dedication that is entirely separate from school. And finally once the sweat begins to fade, and one departs home, once they enter the front door they are greeted by none other than the infinite homework assignments they received that day. If luck has it and they are able to get it all done, they may have just under an hour to sit back and unwind.

But where does that leave a social life, or time to spend with family? Which only begs the question, “How does a student athlete manage it all?”

Captain of the football team and senior Riley Croft claims, “I’m grinding one hundred percent of the time. It takes dedication. But I always stay true to the motto, student-athlete, not athlete-student.”

As most students strive only to excel in school, student-athletes must push themselves to exceed expectations both on and off of their field of play. With the constant battle for a starting position in their sport of play. Student-athletes are often required to put in extra work outside of the practice they get on school campus, leaving less time for homework, and even less leisure time. And with packed schedules, student athletes must maintain a certain GPA in order to play.The constant effort put in each day takes its toll on student athletes, infringing on their social life, family time, and their body, often times leaving them too exhausted  to study, adding on to the never-ending stress of being a student-athlete.

The ability to succeed in both the classroom and in competition comes from personal drive. And for every student athlete, the way each day everyone pushes themselves is different. As pitching phenomenon Darren Fuchs offers up, “Baseball is my therapy. All of my worries off of the field have no place in my mind when I am playing. I just put everything on hold, and immerse myself into the game.”

But with all the passion athletes have for a sport, they know the most imperative thing is school, and school always come first.