From the student-athlete herself. This was mostly written last semester but then she got busy with school and snowboarding and just now was able to finish it. Life from her perspective -
It’s always something that’s talked about - the challenges of being a student athlete. Phrases are tossed around like “it’ll be hard but it’s so worth it” and “finding a balance can be hard but it’s great once you do!” There are so many more rosy colored sayings talking about being an athlete in college. They all share in saying it’ll be so worth it and that sports and academics are an incredibly rewarding thing in college. Honestly those are just ideals, glossing over what it’s actually like; at least from one athlete’s perspective.
Let me explain. Colleges, even those that bring you in for a sport, STRESS that academics come first. Bad grades = no sport, end of story. So athletes who are there for the sport over classes tend to take the easiest ones, sliding by to enjoy their time on a collegiate team. Others work hard to do well in challenging classes while being on the team. Not trying to bash any athlete here. It’s a personal choice how you pursue your education. Colleges like to boast about their athletic accomplishments and how great their sports programs are, when students have to work diligently with professors to get the time off from class and the extensions on papers to make games and practices. This inconsistency from an academic standpoint only serves to add to a student’s already stressful life.
Sure, sounds frustrating but nothing too big to handle right? Not for me. As a sophomore I am taking challenging classes that interest me and sadly finals and end of semester projects aligned just perfectly with when my sport’s season begins to take off. Coming home from practice one Sunday (an hour drive away) I realized how unglamorous this life is. Food is eaten quickly to not waste precious time, if it happens at all. Lounging around is not something that happens, no hours wasted watching Netflix or YouTube. My room over weekends often looks as though a bomb has gone off. Time can’t be spared to clean so things are left where they are dropped. Bed unmade, church clothes tossed on the pile of sheets and blankets, equipment bag open and things spilling out on the floor, board leaning against the wall drying, boots tossed aside open to air out, iron off but still plugged in and wax sitting on the floor forgotten in the rush earlier, on top of it all various textbooks and notebooks over the dresser, bed, and desk.
How on earth do they expect anyone to remain sane? That’s right, they don’t. They care about results in the classroom and their sport - even at the cost of their students. Balance is something you can hope for and work towards but it’s not something that will last very long in your life as an athlete in college. Early morning workouts then dashing to class sweaty and gross is a requirement of progressing in your sport. Late nights working on papers because you were at practice and didn’t have time to do it earlier is a way of life. Never ending questions from others who will never know the battle about if you need a break, if you need to give up your sport, grate on the remaining nerves. Sleep is treasured yet is never acquired in large enough amounts and naps are only reserved for when you have nothing left.
How on earth do they expect anyone to remain sane? That’s right, they don’t. They care about results in the classroom and their sport - even at the cost of their students. Balance is something you can hope for and work towards but it’s not something that will last very long in your life as an athlete in college. Early morning workouts then dashing to class sweaty and gross is a requirement of progressing in your sport. Late nights working on papers because you were at practice and didn’t have time to do it earlier is a way of life. Never ending questions from others who will never know the battle about if you need a break, if you need to give up your sport, grate on the remaining nerves. Sleep is treasured yet is never acquired in large enough amounts and naps are only reserved for when you have nothing left.
That’s just the school side, taking care of your equipment is a whole other story. Living in a dorm room as it is isn’t the greatest thing in the world. But throw in the challenge of sporting equipment - in this case four snowboards, two sets of bindings, two pairs of boots, a gear bag, waxing equipment, and base and outer layers. The already cramped room becomes the perfect space to practice living in a human sized game of tetris. Not to mention trying to prep equipment; vices are mounted on desks to wax boards or various bins, boxes, or chairs are used to hold boards so they can be waxed. I have a friend who flipped their mattress up and leaned it against the wall and used their bed frame to hold their board while they waxed it. Windows have to be opened as a precaution against the fire alarm going off. Scraping the wax off, that’s just a mess. Trying to sweep up all the flakes of wax and find every little space they fluttered into while brushing the boards is a challenge.
At the end of the day it is hard. It’s not pleasant most of the time. It’s exhausting, draining, puts a strain on relationships and social life (ha, that’s funny, what social life). To many it’s worth it. But please, don’t say it’s the best time of your life or that it’ll be the greatest decision you make. It may very well be a good one, but it’s not one that should be done lightly. The worth only comes from hard work, blood, sweat, and tears, and well, puke because lactic acid is a thing when you’re an athlete. Is it worth it to me? Depends what day and time you ask me. And that’s the reality of being a ‘student athlete.’
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