Author: Sara Lenzmeier, Junior, AP student, NHS Member.
As a softball player myself, I know how difficult it is to manage school and a sport simultaneously. While it is very difficult to handle both at the same time, it is possible with dedication and planning to succeed in both. From my previous experience of being on the softball team and maintaining my 4.6 GPA, I have learned three useful skills that have led to my success. These three skills are planning ahead, managing time wisely, and communicating with others.
Planning Ahead
Planning ahead is one of the most important steps to ensure success with school and athletics. It can start at the beginning of a semester when you don’t even have a sport. If your sport occurs at the middle of the semester, help out your future self by getting the best grades you can so you have a buffer during the season and can afford to have your grade go down. If your season starts during the beginning of the semester, try not to rely on your future self to get your grades up too much, but know that it will probably be easier because you will have more time. During the week before your games, determine when your games are and create a schedule that accounts for them. Do homework and study on weekends when you are not busy so you are not swamped after a tiring game. This will keep you on top of work so you are not pulling an all nighter or forgetting to study for a big test.
The final important part of planning ahead is taking a break from unnecessary responsibilities. Consider taking time off from a job or club in order to allow ample time for sports and school. Try to alert people about these changes earlier than later.
Managing Time Wisely
The best way to stay on top of school is to manage your time in an effective way. Something that should have taken fifteen minutes could have taken you an hour to do if you are unable to manage your time. The best way to manage time is build good habits by sticking to a strict plan and completing homework without any distractions. Sometimes, you need to buckle down and use the time given to you in class to your advantage or try to finish homework before you even leave school. The worst thing you can do is procrastinate everything until the last minute as it worsens stress and leads to poor grades. When you procrastinate, it defeats the purpose of homework. You tend to focus on getting it done on time rather than learning from it. Procrastination is the worst way to manage your time and may severely hurt your grades.
Communicating with Others
Communication is a very important aspect of both school and athletics. Teachers and coaches are usually understanding of your commitments and struggles as a student athlete. If you are missing a class for a game, teachers will be glad that you told them ahead of time, so you can keep up with what you are missing. Try to create a good relationship with them, because you will be working closely with them in order to complete make up work. Another important thing to communicate is how you are doing in your classes. If you are struggling to pass a class, tell your teacher or coach, because they usually know about important resources that you can use to get your grades up.
While these are not immediate solutions to the struggles of maintaining good grades while playing a sport, they are very effective strategies that will help you in the future. The best way to implement these solutions is to slowly introduce them into your routine as you try to break bad habits. I hope that these tips help you manage your time and have a successful school year and a good season!
Thank you for reading, and those were my two cents about how to balance athletics and school.
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