Being a young athlete with piles of schoolwork each day is not easy. It is a very difficult skill to try to organize the time from coming home late from practices, cramming in homework while trying to eat dinner, showering, spending time with family, and getting to bed at a reasonable time. A lot of student-athletes struggle with this and keeping up with their grades. So how can someone balance schoolwork and sports throughout their everyday life?
Many people play sports for the exercise and community, or for the sport itself. Keeping the question in mind of “why people choose their sport”, it is easy to see that many people choose to live these busy lives, so it can show up well when it comes to applying for colleges and scholarships. Many people also think it is good for their mental and physical health, as well as for learning new life skills.
A big takeaway for balancing work and sports is planning ahead. If there is a schedule of practices and games for the week, or when tests or assignments are due, taking that time to plan out the week is a great opportunity rather than winging it every day and hoping to find study time. This is a skill that will help you with organization and planning properly. In order for all this to happen, having faith will help balance stress.
After interviewing people at Pentucket High School based on their past experiences with balancing schoolwork and sports, they have all relatively agreed on how to balance time properly. Ms. Hamilton, the Head Track and Field Coach, said that, “when I was in high school, getting on a better schedule of doing homework as soon as I got home rather than doing other things led to more success for me.” She realized throughout her high school years that instead of procrastinating after school during her free time, she made sure all her schoolwork was done first before or after her practices.
Two junior students, Frankie Peltier and Lexi Thompson, both on varsity teams, said, “I wish I took less AP classes.” Taking less advanced classes and just focusing on what best matches someone’s interests can also help you be less stressed.
To sum this up, balancing schoolwork with academics can be handled in several ways. Taking the classes that are best for someone individually, rather than trying to be the best, is better for managing time more wisely. Planning out the schedule for the week to not lose free time to do homework, or keeping a planner book around might also be best.
