Student athletes seek balance between sports, academics, family, friends
The student-athlete grind obviously magnifies the thrill of competition and the pride of achievement, but the pressure to perform at a high level can take a toll. The intense demand of practices, games, and schoolwork can lead to stress and burnout, conditions that affect students pushed to their limits. Finding a balance between the classroom and the court can be difficult but paramount to the success of student-athletes.
Wrestling is one of the most physically and mentally demanding sports that high school has to offer. Unlike team sports, where success is determined by group effort, wrestling requires discipline and hard work by the individual in order to be successful. Beyond high intensity training, wrestlers need to balance their schedule with academic responsibilities.
Senior Ryland Schneider, a wrestler who trains year round, feels the stress that comes from balancing the two factors.
“Sometimes I do feel overwhelmed,” he said. “I sometimes sacrifice sleep, downtime, and a social life so that I can achieve my goals.”
However, Schneider relies on a certain mindset in order to cope with challenges.
“One strategy I use to help me feel less overwhelmed is to stay more present,” he said. “What I mean by that is to stop focusing on the future and the past and focus more on the tasks I have to accomplish daily and in the moment.”
Schneider also plans in advance to balance his time among school, practice, and competition.
“During the season I have the calendar for wrestling tournaments and meets so I know when I will be missing classes and having busy days,” he said. “I focus on getting schoolwork done before those times so I don’t have to play catch-up.”
Like wrestling, football brings demands that make it difficult for student-athletes to find balance in their jam-packed schedules. In order to be successful during the season, players sacrifice their free time and dedicate themselves to improving strength and speed during the off-season. Football players frequently find themselves overwhelmed by the dual pressures to perform both on the field and in the classrooms.
Junior Elliot Reed, a Wildcat kicker, engages his zen mode when life’s demands begin to press in.
“I don’t take life too seriously to get stressed out or burned out,” he said. “I work hard on things I care about, but at the end of the day, nothing is worth stressing over.”
Nevertheless, Reed’s passion for his sport has outweighed such strains.
“I put a lot of effort and care into football, but I love it so much it never feels stressful,” he said. “Find things you love and you won’t feel burned out when you work for them.”
Reed wishes he would have heeded this advice when he was younger.
“Find your passion within the sport and get into a rhythm,” he said. “Staying consistent leads to progress and an overall better mental state”
America’s pastime itself, baseball, comes into season just in time for the peak of senioritis. Baseball requires both mental sharpness and physical endurance, demanding players to maintain high levels of focus over nine innings or more.
Senior Landon Ubrig, a quarterback for football who has committed to Rock Valley College to continue his baseball career, understands the issue of burnout but has strategies to handle the stress.
“Some strategies that I use to manage my stress and prevent burnout are just mixing up my daily routines,” he said. “Being able to get my work done like lifting and hitting, but being able to make time for my friends and family to keep my life balanced."
Ubrig is well aware of the importance of keeping up with school work to avoid stressing over late assignments and missed exams.
“Some specific factors that lead to burnout are when you have to do extra homework and study for tests while still working out,” he said. “So in order to manage that, I plan my schedules and make sure that I’m not overwhelmed on a certain day.”
Ubrig hopes upcoming generations remember why they started the sport they did.
“Enjoy your sport and keep it fun,” he said. “Find ways to mix up your everyday routines and always make time for your friends and family to keep your life balanced.”
Gymnastics coach Wendy Schlies emphasizes the need to get closer with athletes and help them through stressful times
“I’d say the biggest part is trying to develop a relationship, know my athletes, and meet them where they’re at,” she said.
Oftentimes, student athletes can have trouble communicating with their coaches the struggles they are going through. Schlies believes that this balance is one of the most important aspects of being a student athlete.
“Athletes are not going to be productive in the gym if they are preoccupied and burnt out,” she said. “It’s all about finding balance, having strong relationships and proper communication with the athletes.”
by Mark Jung
Published March 17th, 2025
Oshkosh West Index Volume 121 Issue VI