Particularly in collegiate sports, players must juggle their commitment to academics and their social lives. Not to mention the time consuming and physically demanding task of competing.
At such a young age, college athletes are dealing with all this in addition to several other personal difficulties. College athletics don’t account for what might result from having too many things going on at once.
According to statistics, college athletes practice for two hours each day on average, not including performing enhancing training or sports recovery training. Student athletes must strike a balance between academics and athletics in order to thrive in the high-stress atmosphere of a college campus, where students often study for up to 10 to 13 hours a week.
The Challenges of Being a Student Athlete
Kendall Arcuri freshman, physical education major, forward for the Cortland men’s basketball team, mentioned a hard adjustment for him was coming into playing at a higher level of basketball this year.
“The difference in going from playing basketball in high school to college level is a huge jump and it takes some getting used to,” said Arcuri.
College athletes have a tremendous amount of obligation to handle both physically and psychologically. They must maintain a high GPA to be eligible to compete on the court, in addition to carrying some of the school spirit of the entire Cortland community on a periodic basis. This does not include maintaining the level of physical fitness required to preserve their athleticism.
Time management is crucial to student athletes. Austin Grunder senior communications major, and forward/guard for the Cortland men’s basketball team, mentioned having a jam-packed day to day schedule.
“Although I’m busy basically all the time, I’ve made it work being able to juggle both academics and athletics,” said Grunder.
Balancing sports and academics are already a lot as it is but add the pressure of maintaining a social life on top of that.
“During the season, my social life starts to fade away but on the bright side, I get to do something that I love,” said Grunder.
With all the different responsibilities student athletes hold, such as, workouts, weight training, study hours, recovery time, and resting, it is vital for student athletes to set goals to maintain balance and focus.
“It’s all about staying organized and you get in a routine with it. It was tiring at first, but you get used to juggling everything at once,” said Grunder.
Arcuri mentioned the vital role of maintaining focus when it comes to being a student athlete.
“When it comes to maintaining focus before a game, I must be in the correct state of mind,” said Arcuri. “Can’t go into a game without being calm.”
Team members can relate to each other when facing struggles with the academic part of balancing the life of a student athlete. Having a calendar that holds all the assignments for the semester not only holds student athletes accountable for getting assignments finished but also keeping up to date with them.
“I felt I had a lot of time on my hands when only focused on academics but once basketball started, things filled up rather quickly,” said Grudner. “It was an adjustment but being organized with a planner was really helpful for me, so I wasn’t late on assignments.”
Sports itself play a critical role in the promotion of the structure and growth of life skills. Part of being a student athlete means supporting discipline, honesty, leadership, and cultural diversity both on and off the court.
Being part of a team is a special experience for student athletes as they create bonds they will cherish far after graduation.
“I’ve made countless friends and memories here which I will cherish forever,” said Grunder. “All the games, trips, practices, and bonding sessions that I will never forget.”