As the 2024 season starts for our Southern Nazarene University fall sports, balancing school work, personal life, and achieving greatness on the court or field can truly be challenging for many student-athletes.
Student-athletes are always being watched–whether it is by their coaches, professors, the community, or by their fellow classmates, there is always pressure surrounding them. Although we only truly see their highlight reels on social media, these student-athletes are facing many challenges. Mental health and balance have always had a toll on many athletes. Trying to be a star athlete while maintaining a high GPA is quite a challenge, one which many might not fully understand.
I asked Molly Langford, a junior on the Women’s Volleyball team here at SNU, how being a student-athlete has affected her life. She shared, “It forces me to develop good time management skills. It has also taught me the value of hard work and the importance of relationships you form with others.” She realized much of what you put your focus and effort into, you will achieve. However, she shared that most of what she focuses on doesn’t always help her excel and that there are many distractions that alter her ability to do what’s right.
Some daily challenges she faced while being a student-athlete involved having to make sacrifices in her social life in order to stay on top of school work and prepare to perform well in her sport. Langford expressed how making a sacrifice in her social life to focus on her stressful schedule means she has to make difficult decisions that will eventually help her in the future but hurt her in the present.
Rayanna Mauldin, a current sophomore here at SNU, who is also a part of the Women’s Volleyball team, feels as though she has “a lot on my plate” which affects her social life as well as induces feelings that she may not be doing enough to achieve both having a high GPA and excelling on the court. Mauldin’s daily challenges she faces include “stress and sometimes not getting work done on time.”
Hearing what these student-athletes have to face in their daily lives gives us a glimpse into what many other student-athletes may face. However, here at SNU, there are countless outlets to help these student-athletes off and on the court or field. One is the Renew Counseling Center, which allows students to talk through what they are going through and the actions they can take to grow as a student and athletes. Other resources include the supportive faculty and mentors we have here on campus who are more than willing to meet students where they are. If you are struggling as a student-athlete to balance your academic, social, and athletic life, then make sure to reach out to someone and get the support you need!
Photo by: SNU Creative