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Balancing School With Sports: Advice For Student Athletes

Balancing school work on a daily basis may be hard enough, but joining a sports team could make that task even harder. Whether you’re a freshman or an upperclassmen, any student athlete can benefit from some advice. If you just joined your first sports team, you may be asking me why this advice is important. Joining a sports team may be fun and good exercise, but unfortunately, it does make your life at school more challenging. But don’t give up just yet! Trust me when I say that these tips will definitely come to good use and help you stay on top of your work!
Ian Curtis, a junior here at CKM who has played on the tennis team in the past, stated, “My best advice for incoming athletes is to plan ahead and work on assignments that might not be due the next day or to study for a test a few days in advance.” Procrastination: the dreaded word that every student has heard at least once in their academic career. I know the first thing that comes to mind when you get home from a long day of school and practice isn’t to get your homework done early or to study days in advance, but procrastination can lead to things even worse than a lot of school work. For example, unneeded stress and a lack of sleep quickly become a consequence of procrastination. Your homework time is already cut short due to the time your sport takes up and procrastination will only allow your homework load to build up. Not only will your homework load increase, but also your stress levels. Ian also said, “By getting your work done and not letting it build up until the last minute, you can truly enjoy and exceed in the sport without worries.” So, don’t procrastinate! Get your homework out of the way so it doesn’t become too much to handle.
From personal experience, I know exactly what it feels like to be a student athlete. I have played on the JV girls basketball team for the past two years and know how hard it is to maintain your grades and health. When you’re playing on a sports team, it takes up a lot of your energy. Waking up early and going to school for 6-7 hours doesn’t help either. With that being said, try to always get a good night’s rest. Again, don’t procrastinate on your homework and stay up late doing it, because you’re going to need that sleep and energy for the next day. You don’t want your health to be at risk due to your lack of sleep, now do you? Of course not. So, get your homework done and out of the way to allow yourself a good night’s rest.
With all this being said, go out there and have fun with your sport, but don’t let your busy schedule overload both your health and your academic career. Do not procrastinate and get as much sleep as you can, because you’re going to need it. Don’t be afraid to ask for help throughout the school year. Teachers and students alike are always willing to give advice or guidance, but if you can’t find anyone else, then come find me! I’m always open to helping and giving advice. If you do become overwhelmed with stress, then just take it one day at a time. Don’t focus on the big picture, but take your workload one small detail at a time so you don’t get overwhelmed. Balancing your athletic and academic life may be a challenge, but it is possible. Now, go play your sport and don’t let that homework overwhelm you!

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