Student Athletes Time management

 By Mike Burns

            Balancing academics and athletics can be a struggle for student athletes in college.

            For freshmen, this can be even harder. 

            Ben B. Morgan, a freshman hockey player at Colby College, said he struggles with time management as he begins his hockey career at the collegiate level.

“So far it has been an adjustment and just getting used to my daily routine. I have had to make a set routine that works for me and having to create good habits to make sure I am in the best spot to succeed,”

            Morgan said his most important thing is to sleep to succeed. “With early morning workouts, practices and meetings, making sure I am going to bed early and getting the right amount of sleep to make sure I am feeling good throughout the day.”

Zach M. Allen, a junior who plays football at Westfield State University, said he has gotten used to the physical and mental grind of being a student athlete. Allen said he always prioritized the classroom first before the field, which has paid dividends so far in his career.

“I always make sure I am keeping up with my grades first. It can sometimes be tough to juggle both especially when in season but something that I do is I always make sure I study for at least 1 hour a day,” he said.

            Allen said he keeps improving on his grades. “Every year my GPA has improved. I think that goes to improving my routine and just getting used to the grind,” he said.

            “I have also been able to improve my play on the football field, as I am playing the best ball of my career right now,” he said.
            For student athletes, the toughest part of the season can be mentally. If you have an injury, if you are not playing as much as you want to. It can be very hard mentally and can test your mental toughness.

Kenny L. Goodwin, a senior cross country and track runner at Bridgewater State University, said being a track runner can be very hard mentally, even more than any other sport.

“Mentally, track can be very difficult. Having to push yourself all the time and making sure you stay on a current pace your on. Having the mental toughness to keep yourself going has always been hard for me. Especially when I get a bad cramp in a race and have to try and push through all the pain I’m going through,” he said.

            Goodwin has always been a top-notch student in the classroom and has always been able to make sure he has stayed on the very top of his game as well. Goodwin is a senior and will be graduating in May, he offered some advice he would give to all new student athletes.

            “One thing I would say to future student athletes would be to stay patient and develop good habits. Not everything will come easy to you whether it’s the classroom or the field. You will have to face some adversity at some point in your four years. You just gotta push through and enjoy the grind,” he said.

            John E. Coughlin, a hockey coach at Rivier University, deals with student athletes as his job.

 Coughlin acknowledged that student athletes now have a lot more on their plate now than ever before, and the tasks they deal with are very challenging.

            “I’ve been a hockey coach for 30 years now, not all at the collegiate level but I have been able to see student athletes from different generations and have seen it all. One thing I would not is there are a lot more distractions for these guys today than in the past. With the phones and computers there are a lot more distractions than the past, and I truly believe that these play a role in their lives,” he said.

            Coughlin also talked about how much work these athletes have on their plate.

            “For our team at least, over the past couple years we have had a lot more workouts, meetings and practices than before. We have had more work for these guys than before. There are a lot of meetings, conditioning, lifting weights, there is something going on for these guys every day for our team. Some days can be very grueling for these guys, and one thing us as coaches try to remember that and give these guys a break every now and then,” he said.

            A study that was conducted and shown at the University of Duke focused on the mental health of athletes.

 “One study shows that around 33% of all college students will experience serious mental health struggles, such as depression, anxiety, or eating disorders. Among this group, around 30% seek help through college resources. However, of college athletes experiencing mental health struggles, only around 10% seek help,” according to the study.

Along with mental health, the study showed that lack of sleep can also play a role in student athletes’ mental health.

“One factor of college athletes' mental health struggles is the lack of sleep they receive. A study stated that poor sleep has been linked to a greater risk of depression & anxiety. Many collegiate athletes never receive the optimal amount of sleep they need because they are constantly buried with the mixture of athletic and academic responsibilities,” it found.

 

“The Unseen Struggles of Being a Student Athlete.” Black In Blue, blackinblue.trinity.duke.edu/unseen-struggles-being-student-athlete-0. Accessed 3 Dec. 2024.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6saT6nSv7-E