Ria Beri ‘27
EE Staff Writer
As someone who is currently playing two sports in one season, I understand just how hectic the student-athlete life can get. I often get home late, worried about all of the studying and homework that I have to do. As this is the case for many of our athletes here at Trumbull High, I have compiled some of the best advice on managing sports and school and listed them below.
#1: Make the Most of Class Time
When you are given class time to work on an assignment, make sure that you utilize every minute. At the time, it may seem easy to goof off and ignore your work, but ultimately you have to get it done, whether at school or home. Volleyball player Taleeda Hantash advises also utilizing study hall. “As a student-athlete, I like to measure out my time evenly,” says Hantash. “I use my study hall for homework so that I don’t have too much to do when I get back from practice. This helps out a lot, especially when I get home from games late.”
Of course, utilizing school time does not mean rushing through the assignment so that you don’t have to do it at home. What I like to do is try and finish the assignment during class so that I can go home and double-check my answers. This way, I have minimal work to do at home while ensuring that I am still doing a good job.
#2: Plan Ahead
Whenever I know that I have a tournament or meet the day before an important test or assignment, I try to study during the days leading up to the sporting event. I do this not only because it ensures that I study well and get my work out of the way, but also because it prevents me from being distracted during the event. While competing, if I know that I have a lot of work to do after I’m done, I lose focus and become stressed. My performance suffers, and once I get home, I become frustrated over the results of the event, causing the quality of my work to suffer as well. Planning and studying ahead not only boosts your academic performance but your athletic one too, making it an ideal system for student-athletes.
#3: Study the Easiest Subjects First
Although other sources may disagree, I find that studying the easiest subject first is best as I often need some time for my mind to adjust from practice to homework. I cannot dive straight into hard math problems that require full focus because I am still thinking about things that happened at practice. Because of this, I like to start off by doing Spanish, one of my better subjects, and then working my way up to math and science so that, by the time I reach those subjects, I am fully focused and no longer thinking about practice. I recommend that you do this too. Start off by doing homework for subjects that you find easier, and end with the subject that you feel is hardest and requires the most focus. Doing so will ensure that, by the time the hardest assignment comes around, you are fully engaged and can do your best.
#4: Study Whenever You Can, Not Just at Night
There are many cases of student-athletes staying up late and pulling all-nighters in order to finish their homework. However, I find that, when all I am thinking about is sleep, I cannot do my homework well. Rather than stay up late to study, I would advise using travel time to study. Not only does this make the work more fun as you can do it with a teammate, but you are also more focused as you weren’t already cramming and studying before. Another thing that I like to do is, if it is late at night and I think I need to review a little more, I look over my notes while eating breakfast the following morning. I find that doing so allows me to get more sleep and retain information better, a win-win.
#5: School Before Sports
Although everyone has different goals and ambitions, in most cases, it is crucial to recognize that school serves a more important role than athletics in the long run. As put nicely by cross-country runner Jenny Hua: “Try to do your best both academically and athletically, but don’t stress yourself out. Ultimately, you come to school to learn, so you should prioritize maintaining a passing grade before aiming to be the #1 player.”
The sad truth is that over 99% of high school athletes will not go on to play professionally, as reported by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. Even the 7% who will go on to play at the collegiate level must possess a good GPA in order to be accepted. In the long run, academics help pave the way to the careers that shape our world. Athletes should always be sure to keep their grades up as their athletic ability will likely fail to get them a job. Then, at least, they will be able to get into a good college and pursue another career in a different field.