Freedom students often agree that joining an athletic team is a big time commitment. Student athletes are required to dedicate 5-6 days out of the seven day week to games and practices. They have different ways of achieving their personal and academic goals while playing school sports.
Many students have to adjust to a new schedule during their sports seasons. This helps to better prepare for future objectives. From going to school for seven hours and either having morning or after school practices, athletes have learned to manage their time between all of their commitments.
“Six days a week is very hard. It would be nice to have days off during the week from practice and games,” said senior Kendall George, varsity volleyball player.
Many athletes have adapted to their new schedules by utilizing different strategies to manage their time between their schoolwork, extracurricular activities and sports.
“Using a planner and planning over the weekends helps with balancing the schedule between sports and other commitments,” George said.
While having continuous practices in a sport is great for helping one achieve their athletic goals, the schedule for FHS student athletes can get busy and overwhelming. With the support of teachers, coaches and even current athletes, new athletes have the opportunity to establish the right communication to balance their sport and school work.
“Communicating with teachers and coaches on things and focusing on oneself and not getting too overwhelmed has been key in achieving goals while taking many honors, AP, and DE courses,” said sophomore Mischa Rao, varsity tennis player.
All athletes share different experiences, but it is evident that the addition of a school sport can allow student athletes to establish better time management and communication skills essential for life.
