Students who play competitive sports face the responsibility of balancing both their academics and athletics. This proves to be a major challenge especially for teens in high school. Having to worry about studying and getting homework done to ensure good grades can be stressful while having to go to practices and games, requires a lot of dedication. 

In order to play sports in high school, a student must have a 2.0 GPA or a C average. Without meeting this requirement, athletes will be ineligible to play. This requires students who plan to attend college for sports, to make sure that their GPA stays above the required amount or higher in order to get into a 4-year university.

Athletes who hope to receive a scholarship for their sport often need high school to get looked at by college recruits. When planning on playing at a higher level athletes must work hard and practice often to progress. Athletes are told to practice 3 to 4 times a week at most. As the saying goes, “practice makes perfect”, but practice takes a lot of time and effort especially when you want to improve. This is why many students struggle to keep up with their grades. 

We all know that school isn’t the easiest thing in the world, but a good education is important and needed. When focusing on a sport, many athletes may lose focus on school and fall behind, or even just give up on their studies. It can be hard to keep up with schoolwork, homework, waking up early, and still trying to compete in sports. Although there are many things that can be done to help student-athletes keep up in school, some refuse to do it.

Staying organized is very important. Writing down assignments, projects, due dates on a planner can be really helpful for student-athletes. Having folders for each class can ensure you don’t lose important papers you need. Making sure you are organized and prepared is a great way to balance the stress of school and sports.

Keep up and do not procrastinate. Everyone has been guilty one time or another of putting off an assignment until the last minute. By doing this, you create more stress and anxiety. Make sure that you get your assignments done and on time before the last minute to give yourself less anxiety and stress.

Take advantage of the opportunities at school if there is a study hall or office hours that you can efficiently use to get ahead or catch up. Not every class is an easy A, so take it with a grain of salt.

There are many things you can do to make assure that you are a successful student-athlete that performs well both at your sport and at school. It’s not easy at all, but it’s possible. Understand what is expected of you as a student and the hard work you need to put in as an athlete and do it. With hard work and dedication, anything you set your mind to can be accomplished.