Wake up, work out, go to school, eat, practice, study, stretch, study again, sleep, repeat.
For student athletes, this kind of schedule is normal—it’s simply the cost of pursuing a demanding sport where you must maintain an active lifestyle in order to succeed. Nevertheless, many people find it rewarding for several reasons, one of which being the community you are introduced to and get to evolve alongside. However, when it comes to individual sports, such as tennis, track or golf, the pressure is not distributed amongst a team. It is all on you. Every missed shot, every slow round, every mistake—you are the only one to blame and the only one who consequently carries the feeling of failure.
Author: Despoina Katsaiti
Maintaining a balance between sports and school is a struggle that many individuals discuss but do not fully understand as they may have never experienced it first-hand. Being a student athlete, especially when it comes to participating in an individual sport is a heavier burden than most people realize. You must learn to be disciplined and establish a productive daily routine that you stick to almost daily, because no one else is going to push you and be there for you every step of the way in order to become your best self within that respective sport. Moreover, if you continuously slack off, you will stay behind as the majority advances and makes real progress.
At the same time, schoolwork and any other responsibilities you have will not become any less difficult or require any less effort from you due to your matches, competitions you need to practice for or travel days. Assignments stack up. Tests will keep coming. You are expected to perform at your best in both places—but the fact is that the amount of hours in a day will not extend for athletes. The pressure is constant, yet no one sees it. Everyone wants something from you—coaches are demanding good results. Teachers demand for excellent academic performance. Your family and friends are not a group you want to let down. And then there is yourself, who demands that you live up to all of these expectations, as well as your own. The truth is that your own expectations are the ones that are the most significant.
It is not simply about physical fatigue; it is psychological fatigue that takes a toll on you as well. There are days when you may feel ‘off’, your motivation vanishes, and there are three classes’ worth of homework waiting for you to complete. It is a constant feeling of being behind that never seems to change, no matter what you try to alter or find a way around. Additionally, when your results do not live up to what you had envisioned in your mind, there appears this voice from inside of your head that makes you start to doubt your potential, as it makes you doubt and question everything.
It doesn’t matter how much you accomplish, or how you manage to hand in paper after paper. There is always something new added on the “To-Do List” waiting to be done. Then there is the desire to go out; to be a normal teenager and spend time with your friends. There is also the feeling of constantly missing out on events that happen because you have to practice. You have to sacrifice a lot; there is constant planning, living out of a suitcase and being on your toes the whole time as you anxiously question how you did in one tournament or competition.
Nevertheless, life goes on.
Not because it’s simple, but because somewhere deep down, we care. We want to keep improving. We want to get something from all of this struggling. We keep going because of the desire that persists deep down; the hidden love we have for the game. There is power in knowing you’re doing something hard—showing yourself that you can handle it. There is a kind of self-fulfilment in showing up every day, even when you’re alone, or when there’s silence—even when no one is cheering you on every step of the way. Even if no one else knows how hard it is, you know. That in itself is more than enough. To be able to recognize your own achievements is powerful, whether you do the sport alone or with others; you learn to be independent and do not have to rely on validation from others.
When that moment comes, where you finally get a chance to pause, catch your breath, and stop to look back on all that you’ve accomplished so far, you are satisfied. You are proud. You notice how far you have come. But until that moment arrives—until the pride and the perspective—you always doubt yourself: am I enough? I can do more.
And maybe that is what distinguishes student athletes. We do not only seek wins—we seek improvement; quietly, continuously.
Editor: Marina Varnava
Image source: Kelvin Crispo 2022, https://arhsharbinger.com/33176/news/coaches-help-student-athletes-conquer-stress/
