There is nothing more entertaining than showing pride and representing your school’s sports team. Whether it’s football, basketball, or baseball, many students find vast enjoyment when playing sports and representing their school. However, this is a big commitment. Sports bring an immense amount of fun and opportunities for a student, but what makes sports so frowned upon is the amount of stress it can cause. 

The constant battle between committing to the sport and balancing schoolwork makes it difficult for a student to be persistent with assignments; not only at school but also at home. Issues such as getting home late from a sports game and having over 2 hours of homework can impact a student’s academic performance greatly. Moreover, it can also affect their personal life at home. This raises an important question for student-athletes everywhere: What can we do to solve this issue?

The Inevitable Workload for Athletes

When student-athletes, students that do not participate in sports, and alumni at Pentucket were interviewed it all came down to the same answer when asked about the workload: An unpredictable struggle. 

“I can’t dictate my workload, so school can get randomly stressful for me.” says an anonymous junior here at Pentucket.

“I remember how difficult it was coming home from practices late and still having schoolwork to do,” says Coach Wesolowski, a coach and alumni triathlete here at Pentucket. “I remember it was difficult to manage work before a game because I was always so stressed about the game”.

Student-athletes, not only from Pentucket but also everywhere, are constantly met with this conflict and pursue to have ongoing battles with school workload and their focus on sports. Students can’t dictate the work they are assigned, so the workload can instantly become overwhelming at once, and that causes difficultly for student-athletes to prepare and find a suitable time to do schoolwork.

Academic Performance and Expectations

The stress caused by the combination of inevitable workload and sports raises fear for student-athletes, and that is not being academically stable enough to play sports.

“If I’m failing all my classes, the coaches won’t let me play; even if I’m captain,” says senior lacrosse and soccer captain Evan Napolitano. “You have to split your life in two. Sports are a big commitment.”

This kind of stress can hound student-athletes for what seems like endlessly. Many student-athletes are unaware of how crucial grades are in sports. Sports are a big commitment, and these factors should be taken into consideration when playing. Coaches and teachers set high expectations for their students, and to continue playing their beloved sport, student-athletes must achieve that expectations no matter what.  

Fixing this problem requires one thing: Time management.

Solution

On most free days, many students would prefer to be hanging out with friends or relaxing, rather than doing schoolwork. What student-athletes do not know is that this free time costs you. When it comes to a hard-working student-athlete, that time is all they have. I asked Coach Wesolowski, a coach here at Pentucket, about what help to give to a struggling student-athlete, and his response was what everyone was looking for.

“I would try to talk to them about how they’re using their free time and make sure they’re using it well. If they’re wasting it, they need to focus more on work” Wesolowski answered. “The biggest thing is to use the resources and support around you. Ask help from teachers, coaches, and parents because they are willing to help.”

To sum up what Coach Wesolowski said, use what is available and manage your time well. That free time you have, even if it’s 15 minutes, is the time to work on your schoolwork. Student-athletes have to learn how to split their time in two so they have an equal focus on both athletics and academics. Just remember, school comes first before sports. Athletes must take this into consideration when participating in any sports, for it is important to reflect on what one can do better and how to properly manage their time.