Balancing Schoolwork and Extracurricular Activities

What does your daily schedule look like? For many student-athletes, balancing school, sports, and social time can be overwhelming. Sophomore gymnast Arwen Grill-Kunej’s schedule is a prime example. She attends school, leaves before her classmates are halfway through the day, then practices late. Many student-athletes, like Arwen, have packed schedules, and this can be a lot to handle.

While some students struggle with busy routines, others, like sophomore softball player Riley Howe, believe that being a student-athlete provides valuable life skills that contribute to future success. Howe said, “I think that balancing school and sports is a really good thing to do because it helps you to demonstrate life skills and be successful in the future.” This shows one of many ways that students balance their schedule for school and sports and how they allow themselves to continue being successful during their school year and sports season.

Some say that balancing sports and school just comes with being a student-athlete and that the love for their sport makes up for it. Sophomore Arwen Grill-Kunej agrees with this statement and said, “While gymnastics brings a heavy workload into my life the amount of love I have for the sport makes up for this and allows me to problem solve and find ways to make time for school, practice, meets, work and friends.”

Sophomore Paige Gausman claimed that while the importance of grades and school is undeniable, the physical and psychological benefits of sports should be equally recognized. “Sports teach good life skills like bravery, problem-solving, and teamwork that can also go into success in school. However, if students are constantly overwhelmed with academics and school work, they may lose the happiness that their sports bring them, which can affect their overall health.”

Sophomore Kaylee Tilton said she agrees with this statement and said, “Having student-athletes work harder and having them do heavy workloads takes away a lot of the energy that students could be putting towards the student’s sport.” This analysis of the situation of school work can be taken into consideration by schools but is most of the time overlooked as being a good student and achieving academic success is more important to the schools than athletic success.