Athletes have incredible stamina. In order to maintain this strength they have to put in hours and hours of practice. What happens when you mix these hours with an academic life? That in itself can add more stress to student athletes. However, it is not impossible.
Ángel Jacquez, a junior at SNU, is a forward on the women’s soccer team. Jacquez says that she struggles sometimes to balance sports and academics. “Sometimes it’s hard depending on how much homework you have for the week,” says Jacquez. “I try to use any freetime to work a little on easier assignments. I usually work on harder assignments at night.” 
Breckynn Myers, a junior setter on the women’s volleyball team at SNU, also says that it’s harder to balance school and
academics. “During the season it is a little bit harder since we are missing a lot of classes because of travel and games,” says Myers. “I really try to focus on my classwork on the bus since most of our games vary from an hour drive to six hours!”
Balancing hours of practice and homework can be a tough challenge for any athlete. It’s important to have good time management along with motivation.
When asked about a good piece of advice to give to athletes, Myers says that “good time management and planning your week’s work of homework ahead of time will help relieve a lot of stress.” Myers continued to say “always look at your sport from the point of view that it’s your stress reliever and your time to have fun rather than a burden on your homework.”
A piece of advice Jacquez would give to other athletes is “use your time as wisely as possible. Naps will usually make you feel more tired. Instead, use those minutes to work on homework and try to go to sleep early.”
Other helpful tips include eliminating distractions, resisting procrastination by turning in assignments earlier than the due date, and maintaining good communication with your professors. If you are a student athlete just remember that it’s not impossible to find a healthy balance. Find what works best for you!
Photos by Kevin Stark