Sports vs. Study by Matthew Trazzera
Balancing school and sports is tough, whether you play like 9th grader Royce Walden or not, it takes many smart choices. Walden had a super tight schedule, managing practice and homework every single day of the week. This forced him to learn how to improve his time management skills. “The best way to balance sports and school is to have a schedule and stick to it,” he said. “If you don’t have a plan or schedule on how you can manage your time, it will be very hard for you to have good grades,” he said. Sports help with stress, but can also be stressful in the moment, you learn how to work as a team and learn how to be a leader, which are skills that you will use forever in life.
Then there are students like 9th grader Samayah Serverin who had more free time but still worked hard to plan her day out right. “I use a planner for each class so I don't fall behind on any work I have,” she said. Severin tries not to procrastinate and worked really hard on all of her assignments at school. But she’s real about her struggles and the distractions that she has to deal with, like her phone, and social media. Taking a bunch of breaks helps her from stressing out too much. Samayah used her free time for other stuff, not just studying. She gets to lay back more on the weekends and has time to do the things she enjoys. “I like to hang out with my friends and sleep in on the weekends,” she said.
Both Walden and Severin show that there isn't just one way to handle the pressure of being a student. Whether you used a strict schedule for sports or a planner to avoid distractions, the most important thing is simply having a plan. Even though it is hard to stay focused with things like social media or a busy practice schedule, these two students proved that you can still get your work done and have time for yourself.
Caption:
Royce Walden, a freshman, utilizes his lunch period to study for an upcoming history exam, attempting to manage the little time lunch gives you. Royce juggles soccer and school and it can get stressful when he doesn't have enough time after practice to finish homework. “It can get stressful but I always manage to get my work done,” he said. Photo by: Matthew Trazzeraw