The role of a student athlete is to balance the workload of education, and the commitment to a sport, all in one day. If you are a student athlete, you can relate in saying that it is difficult and stressful. The daily routine consists of waking up, eating, school, practice, eating, homework, sleep. The tasks can get quite tedious. When you’re sitting at your desk, cramming those last few notes at 1:30 in the morning, you start to think that if you were to stop playing your sport, the school work load would be much lighter and your life would be a lot less stressful. This can be the case, although, there are many more benefits in which being a student athlete will make your teenage experience more enjoyable.
If you do not participate in any athletic events, you may not understand how people say, “Sports teach you life lessons.” This is very true. Some sports can teach you lessons that the classroom simply can not. Determination is the largest one. The characteristic of being able to focus on one goal and strive to accomplish that goal no matter what is a gift that can not be taught with books and papers. Student athletes know this better than anyone. They must be able to work vigorously on both sides of the spectrum in able to be successful. Being able to stay up late in order to finish that last assignment, study harder for that test, write that last paragraph for your essay. All of these tasks take a large amount of determination to complete whenever you’re tired and want to give up.
Along with determination is work ethic. Student athletes must work twice as hard as a person who is singly focused. Every little detail, must be perfect. If not the entire “operation” will be ruined. Undertaking advanced classes forces you to work harder. The workload given from these classes can be tremendous, yet, student athletes tend to partake in these classes because their work ethic allows them to be successful. They take the time to do the extra work in order to be successful. Hard work and determination are two vital characteristics to have has an athlete, but when used in the educational system, these qualities foster success.
Being successful in high school only invites more opportunities. But these opportunities depend on what you achieved in order to get where you are today. Athletics can play a very important role in deciding what you can do with the rest of your life. Showing pristine colleges that you have participated in a high level athletic event, while maintaining a high GPA, reflects on how you can manage your own responsibilities. Being a prestigious player can present even more opportunities for colleges. Athletic scholarships can be very profitable when dealing with higher ranked schools. Once you’ve achieved that scholarship, it is your decision to either follow the path that you’ve created in the prior years, or create a new one. If student athletes keep their vital traits that they have adopted from playing a sport, eventually, those kids will be satisfied with what they have accomplished in life. Being a student athlete allows you, from 30 years from now, to look back and say you were glad to embrace that way of life.
Many say that high school will be the most memorable years of your lives. But the things that we remember are very important. Most people won’t look back at which classes they took, but instead reflect on the activities they participated in and the sports they played. Being a student athlete adds to the enjoyment of the high school experience. It is your decision to choose what will make you happy, but the thrill of competition is one that can not be matched. Student athletes choose to express their personality through their athletic abilities and flaunt their skills to the rest of the school. To current student athletes, imagine what life would be without your sport. The enjoyment and challenge of balancing your school work and athletic activities make all the difference.
Student athletes have a love/hate relationship with their sport. Without it, they’d be a completely different person. But it adds the stress of handling more responsibilities. Whenever you are sitting at your desk writing a paper late because of practice, remember that you are doing it because you love to. No matter what, you will be determined to be the best and achieve your goals.