Being a student and an athlete can be stressful; however, there are ways to balance one’s responsibilities. Six South High students shared their tips to keeping stress free while still participating in the sports they love.
Senior Andrea Andrade-Ochoa played softball for three years and was a cheerleader for her junior year while also being a soccer manager for two years. “It definitely had me missing out on some lectures and homework,” Andrade said, “but as a student athlete, I learned that you must be able to manage your time wisely.” Andrade also said she made sure to communicate with her counselor who motivated her as well as her teachers. “As a student athlete there’s so much going on behind the scenes, but it’s up to the person whether they want to get the stuff done or not.” She also mentioned one must “lock in even through the off season; practice makes progress, and stay true to yourself.”
Sophomore Stuart Hernandez played soccer and baseball, but out of the two, baseball is the sport he said he’ll continue playing. Hernandez gave a different answer about how he managed it all. He said he thought it wasn’t difficult catching up on schoolwork because “it helped me stay focused on my work, because if I was doing bad in school, I wouldn’t be able to play.” For him it was easy because he said he would try to do his work during class, and when he left, he’d ask his teachers if they could send the work he missed. “If you know you can manage both school and your sport you are playing, go for it; but remember, school is more important,” Hernandez added.
Junior Marianelly Anguiano played softball and hopes to continue to play during the season even though it keeps her very busy. “We would miss so much school since we left super early; for example, we would leave school around 8 a.m., and our games aren’t really timed, so that’s why we would get out so early. Therefore, I did and do fall very behind on my work.”
Anguiano also said it is a big struggle to catch up on work. “I would manage to put an alarm on my phone to remind me I should email my teachers for my missing work or the lesson I missed,” she said. “I would also ask a friend in the class and ask my teacher before or after class what we did in the class prior.” She added that if students plan on playing a sport, they need to be on top of their work and use their time wisely. “Even if you are or aren’t behind, never give up, and keep pushing yourself to get it done!” she said.
Sophomore Leonardo Garcia-Campos played soccer for the boys’ reserve team and gave a similar response to Hernandez. “No, I don’t think it caused me to fall behind in school; I actually think it helped me become more focused in school. Soccer gave me a reason to have good grades,” he said. Garcia also said that if he found himself falling behind in class, he’d communicate with his teacher about any work he had missed or was about to miss. The last piece of advice Garcia gave was to “be very attentive in class, to know what’s going on, ask classmates about work if you’ve fallen behind in class, and use your time wisely to get schoolwork or anything that you’ve missed done.”
Junior Itzel Castillo played soccer and swam and might even pursue softball during her senior year. She said it was difficult for her to manage both school and sports. “Leaving early for games, sometimes I couldn’t take quizzes, tests or finish assignments. Without being in class, sometimes my assignments would pile up quickly, and I’d sometimes get confused on what the teacher was talking about because I had to leave early for a game,” Castillo said. But “some teachers were understanding and allowed me to have a bit of extra time to do my work; I would go to tutoring, and they would also find a way to catch me up outside of class.” Some advice Castillo gave is to “not procrastinate, and do your work when it’s given, and do it during any free time you have.”
Junior Cristian Cardenas played basketball and football and said balancing everything was easy for him. He said he asked his teachers for help and “went to tutoring after school and before practice.” Cardenas said that “it’s easy; just make sure you ask for help and aren’t scared to do so, and also pay attention in class, so you know what’s going on. Do as much work as possible in class, and don’t be afraid to ask questions about the topic,” he added. “Do what you can at home, even if it’s only for an hour or 45 minutes; just doing something is better than nothing.”
