By Ariana Ovadia
In order to accomplish everything, you must use your time wisely. When you are on a high school sports team, you don't have a lot of time to yourself - you have to be extremely dedicated to your team, but at the same time school should always come first. The actual game is the result of many hours of practice both on your own and with your team. This can include weightlifting, running and practicing together for many hours and learning to work as a team.
The balance becomes more stressful when you take into account the potential for scholarships. The tuition scholarships available to the best high school athletes range from partial to full academic tuition, meaning that your parents would not have to pay for college. The problem, however, is that most scholarships also require that you maintain excellent grades. Once again, balance is essential.
At East Meadow High School, both classroom education and sports are very important. Everyone who takes sports seriously - which is a must at the high school level - suffers from the same problem. Time management. Toni Turrisi, a ninth-grader at East Meadow High School who plays junior varsity field hockey, has been able to achieve this delicate balance and credits her hectic schedule for helping her achieve her academic goals.
"Being on a sports team helps me to keep my grades up because I do not go home right after school," she said. "I usually have practice or a game. I go home after sports and need to use my time wisely to make sure I get all my homework done. By the time I am done with everything, I am tired and go to sleep."
Maryssa Dazzo, another ninth-grade athlete at East Meadow High School, plays junior varsity soccer and agrees that athletics help her stay focused academically. "Sports helps keep me focused and strong," she said. "This strength can then be used in my school work. It gives me the discipline I need to handle all the work. I find ways to keep myself organized and have time to do everything. This does not only include sports and school work, but also hanging out with my friends."
There are some students, however, who struggle to find the happy medium between their involvement in sports and academic success.
One way to guarantee success on the playing field and in the classroom is by developing self-discipline. Some athletes say the trick is focus. When they arrive at home after practice, they shower immediately, eat dinner and do their homework. Many who procrastinate and wait till the last minute will only hurt their overall athletic performance. Eight hours of sleep is also essential in ensuring attentiveness in the classroom and excellent performance during practice. But the key is to always try to manage your time the best way you can.
If you can offer any tips that can help a fellow student balance sports and academics, please send them my way and I will share them with our readers in a future column. Please send your suggestions to me at skateari@aol.com.
