Wilsonville High School, (WHS), is reputable for its exemplary performance in academics, athletics, arts, activities, etc.
Wilsonville students work towards the given standards of their teachers, parents, peers, and even coaches. By this, WHS students function from early morning hours until late into the evening.
Student athletes experience this stress especially while in-season. Most teenagers already struggle with maintaining consistent sleep schedules while also balancing homework, school days, and social lives. Add 6am and post-school sports practices; draining.
High school athletes are usually passionate about their chosen sport, but is the dedication worth their priceless time?
Sophia Vega, a sophomore at Wilsonville, created a video story to highlight the commitment she experiences both with softball as her main sport and within classroom settings. Her project titled, “Sports and sleep,” focuses on her daily schedule during the week of final exams.
Featured in the segment are her teammates Kylie Weisgerber and Bailee Van Meter. Weisgerber describes her challenge with this delicate equipoise in saying, “I’m trying to balance my academics and school work with practice and field work.”
While some teachers try to avoid assigning homework, others mandate a daily reading or set of solutions that students must complete before the next class.
Both sports and academics demand time if the student or athlete wants to excel. Most student athletes feel that teachers and coaches hold them to high standards and have expectations for performance and progression.
Bailee Van Meter, a sophomore at Wilsonville High School, gives an example of how she as a softball athlete must manage her time responsibly and take on independence in handling grades and workouts.
“I schedule my nights to know what time I study after practice,” Van Meter shares while suggesting how to plan as a student athlete. In Vega’s video, she outlines a ‘typical’ school night.
Luckily, athletes in season build a structure for a couple months while they repeat the same patterns of classes, sports, and sleeping week after week. As exhausting as it can seem, most athletes play sports because they genuinely enjoy them and find the time spent well worth the efforts.
School athletics naturally work exercise into academic routines, but it doesn’t diminish the fact that these packed schedules can be overwhelming and tough to juggle. Van Meter argues that the key to success is, “Knowing what you need to do before being an athlete. Student comes before athlete.”
Although it’s important to show up for a team, students have to remember to put their academics first.
The majority of student athletes are well-rounded individuals with goals and determination, but a successful athlete also needs a balance of rest and time to recuperate.
“(I) Make sure that I’m in a good place at school so I can be a good athlete on the field,” Van Meter remarks.
Wilsonville High School takes pride in athletic and academic success. Not only do students strive for excellence in state championship banners and trophies, but also with test scores and graduation rates.
Student athletes aim to work hard in achieving a high level of education so they can eventually advance through university and represent collegiate athletics if that’s their goal.
Sometimes, the biggest competitor for student athletes is themselves. One’s mind can be the loudest voice amongst the instruction of people around. It can be difficult to push through the stress, pressure, and exhaustion of a student athlete schedule, but in the end, student athletes are also known to face adversity with resilience and confidence.