A student athlete is someone who is committed equally to their sport or sports as well as their academics. For some people, this is a full-time job in itself, not to mention all of the other clubs and activities that these said kids participate in.

As a student athlete, I have figured out how to balance most of my activities while still finding time to try new things.

I play year-round volleyball, which practices three times a week and meets for eight or more hours a week, and that’s not counting tournaments on weekends (mainly travel). I also participate in CatPRIDE at De Soto High School, I have a babysitting job, I coach a rec volleyball team and have a 4.0 GPA.

There are three key aspects that I consider and use to balance all of these activities. The first thing is asking myself, “do I enjoy this?” If I can truly answer yes to this question, then I know it’s worthwhile to make time or arrange my schedule around that activity. All the work that you put into an activity may seem hard, but it is worthwhile if you love it. Also, this will help you pick between two activities if your workload is too much to handle. The second thing I do is make every activity fun or enjoyable (Especially with schoolwork). For example, if I have 50 pages I need to read in a night, then for every five pages I read, I give myself a piece of candy. Lastly, organization and time management both play a huge key in being a student athlete. I use every moment that I can for school work in between activities. For example, during homework time given in class, I work and get my homework done instead of talking or being on my phone. In Seminar, I use that time to get extra help or work done if needed and during car rides I listen to audio books if I know I won’t have time to sit down and read the book. Use your time wisely.

It may be difficult at times, but as student athletes we are going to be able to handle more stress, and have the potential to become the most well-rounded students. We can be the ones who do not back down from any challenge, but work to complete it. This may be thought of as a full-time job now, but, really, this is preparing us for what our real jobs will entail.