Being a multi-sport athlete is tough, especially when the seasons overlap. Student-athletes must also balance their schoolwork and skills on the field. With fall sports coming to an end and winter sports already starting, the students who play both must find a balance between their schoolwork and managing two sports at once. This part of the year is challenging for multi-sport student-athletes due to sometimes having double practices and long hours of homework. Freshman Zaiden Simpson, sophomore Will Bowerman and senior Emi Grace Wood share about the transition from fall to winter sports.
Simpson, a freshman who plays football and basketball shares about the difficulties of playing two different sports at the same time.
“It’s hard because football is an outdoor sport, and basketball is an indoor sport. So, it’s just two different things,” Simpson said. “I have basketball iPeriod, so I just sit there and watch the plays to learn them.”
Bowerman tells about the challenges of running cross country and swimming.
“Sometimes there are overlapping practices, so I would have to swim with the team after cross country practice,” Bowerman said. “I also had a meet the week I joined the swim team.”
Wood shares the difficulties of doing competition cheer, football cheer, and basketball during this time.
“The difficulties are having to split practice times and having to share practices,” Wood said.
Another difficulty of doing multiple sports at the same time is that student-athletes have to take care of their physical health. When doing multiple sports, students are more likely to be injured, so taking care of their bodies is an important aspect of handling two sports at a time. Bowerman shares how he takes care of his body and prevents injuries.
“I make sure I don’t feel overworked,” Bowerman said. “Ice baths help, and I make sure to stretch out.”
As a football player and basketball player, arguably the two most physically demanding sports to play, Simpson tells how he cares for his body and prevents injuries.
“I sleep a little more and I drink more water than I normally would.”
Staying focused on schoolwork can also be very hard to do when students are so engaged in their sports. Wood tells how she stays on top of school work during this transition.
“I use my free periods and try not to procrastinate.”