Thursday, April 20, 2017

JUGGLING ACADEMICS AND ATHLETICS: A DAUNTING TASK

By ROBBIE STRATAKOS

For many students, balancing the academic workload is hard enough, right? Imagine playing a sport while struggling with homework, tests, essays and quizzes. In addition, seniors have the added stress of applying to and deciding which college they will attend. It sounds hard to believe, but that is what most high school athletes deal with year in and year out. 

Throughout the duration of the school year, athletes in all sports are thrown the metaphorical curveball of balancing both their athletics and academics - a daunting task for some, but for younger students, this can often be even more challenging.

For example, picture a junior baseball player. Whether he is getting playing time or not, that player has to deal with the hardest academic year of his life.  A big part of that is due to having to study for both Chemistry and the witchcraft that is Trigonometry. Being that the athlete has practice or a game every day, he has little to no time to squeeze in studying or homework.  Junior Jeremy Gutierrez claimed, “While I always try to make baseball my priority, it’s my academic obligation to focus on my grades, which can be challenging at times.” Given that challenge, subjects can become even harder to grasp.  However, for those who have already taken those complex classes,  it is still not a walk in the park.

While their grades are somewhat set in stone, for the most part, seniors have a major life-changing decision to make- where to go with their academic lives.  That decision is based off several factors: Stay local?  Go to a big university?  Major?  With these questions, as well as a bevy of others to contemplate, seniors have an overwhelming number of factors to consider when making the big decision. 

Senior baseball player Ben Allegro pronounced, “Since I’m a senior, it’s very important to balance grades and sports because you can’t give off the impression to other universities that you’re slacking off.”  Allegro goes on to say, “It’s the most important and difficult decision of your young life.” 

Sports should be enjoyed and played with passion, however, that can’t be done without some hard work in the classroom. Students have to have keep up with their grades while balancing sports. Whether a junior, senior, or even a freshman, the effort you put into both activities will be the key to the future.

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