Not a lot of people talk about the stress and struggle of being a student athlete. It can get incredibly stressful when you have schoolwork and sports every day. Research shows that student athletes mental health can increase stress, anxiety, and burnout. Other studies show that coaches can also affect athletes mental health. Toxic coaches can leave such a negative mindset and take the love away for kids in their sports. Some coaches have bad favoritism, and it affects the performance of athletes. Up to 35% of elite athletes struggle with mental health.
A survey was sent out asking student athlete questions. The first question that was asked was “What are the pros and cons of being a student athlete?” most of the answers for the pros were being healthy and staying in shape, making longtime friendships, and enjoying doing something they love. There are so many things that are good about being a student athlete, but there are still cons as well. The main con for the students was time management; sports are very time consuming and take up all the students’ free time to complete homework and study. Some teachers are not very understanding and that puts a lot of pressure on athletes when it comes to getting schoolwork and studying done on time.
Next students were asked “What are the main struggles and how do you cope with them?” Some main struggles are mental health. A student anonymously said “the main struggles are my mindset during the season and trying to balance schoolwork with my sport. It is hard to go to school, practice, then go home and sit to do more schoolwork for hours.” This was said throughout lots of students. Ways many students try to cope with them are having a hand help calendar to keep practices and games on a schedule to keep them on task, so they know what is coming up and what they can be available for.
Along with that, the question “What is your motivation to keep going? “Students need motivation to keep going and keep on top of their schoolwork when things get hard. The majority of students said their motivation was to keep going and succeed in sports and academics. Another thing students said was that they keep going and work hard to play sports in college. Only 6 to 8% of students want to play in college. Another thing that keeps athletes going is states. States happen at the end of every season; teams from all over your state come to play with each other to see who the final winner is. This means a lot to players, coaches, and families.
Lastly students were asked “What advice would you give to other students who are struggling managing school and sports?” Students say to focus on what is important and do not get overwhelmed. Balance school and sports and do not pick one over the other and balance both. Some other things students said, stay on task and remember to breathe, keep going because at the end it’s all worth it, look at the bigger picture, push through it, take breaks, and lastly don’t let your sport define your whole life.
