Life as a Division III athlete at Suny Cortland can be tough but it’s a beautiful thing. I am on the volleyball team here at Suny Cortland and here is a guide for incoming athletes.
Time management: As an athlete, your schedule will be packed with lifts, practices, meetings, games, and recovery. You will need to learn how to follow your day-to-day with a strict schedule on when to do daily necessities like eat, study, shower, and sleep. Start with blocking off times in the Google Calendar app immediately with practice and lift times. Then add in classes. After that, you can choose priorities like sleep, hygiene, and eating times. One of the hardest things for me is fitting in my meals. It is so easy to forget to eat and then you’re going to practice on an empty stomach. Protein bars, shakes, and yogurt will be super helpful when on the run. Blocking off free time should be saved for the night so you can relax and unwind from the day.
Academically succeeding: The most important thing that comes with athletics is academics. Understanding you are in college to get a degree at the end of four years is something people seem to forget. Blocking off daily study hours is crucial to keeping up. It is very easy to fall behind especially in season when you are tired. Work smarter, not harder. I find it easier to study for big tests days in advance and study in smaller increments. It’s way too hard to block off 3 hours to prepare for a major test the night before. Handing in assignments on time is the secret to keeping up the GPA
Mental health: This is something that is not discussed enough for college athletes. Mental health needs to be a priority for your well-being. Learning what things are good for you that don’t have anything to do with your sport is vital. It can be meditation, reading, working out, or even watching. It is healthy to have some time in your day or week that is just for you and no one else. I find working out, watching Netflix, and listening to music is the most calming thing for me. I get time for myself to block off all other responsibilities.
Fitness and Physical Health: Coming into Suny Cortland I never really believed or used “recovery”. I never put much time or thought into taking care of my body. I now learned that recovery is the key to success. The way you treat your body translates off to the game. Stretching in your room is something easy you can do to help your mobility and flexibility. I recommend every athlete to own a foam roller. Rolling out is great for the muscles and soreness. Making sure you are taking your injuries seriously is also another topic that is not talked about enough. Many athletes feel they can just breeze right through an injury and ignore it so it will go away. I have done this multiple times making the injury worsen. It’s horrible to not be in control of your own body but you can be in control of the outcome.
Separating your self-worth: Athletic performance is something we all as athletes care about so much. It takes over our brains. I am learning new lessons every day. Here are the top 5 lessons I have learned this past year.
- The little things matter. Everything you do affects the level of the game.
- Worship your teammates and the relationships you build because they are the people you can rely on when in need.
- Everyone’s journey is different and others take more time to develop.
- Self-worth and your performance are two things you need to separate to grow.
- When you feel like the sport isn’t giving you enough, remember why you started in the first place.