As the spring sports season kicks into gear, some student-athletes struggle between two sports. These dual-sport athletes must navigate a demanding schedule full of games, practices and academic responsibilities. Staying focused requires dedication, time management skills and resilience. With multiple sports vying for their time, these athletes must find ways to balance their responsibilities without sacrificing their health or academic success. Sophomore day student Callie Dempsey shares why she plays two sports and her biggest challenge of playing two sports in the spring.
“I really like my team for soccer and I like building that teamwork and it is just a really fun sport that I have played all my life, and track I really like the feeling of getting better each day and achieving personal records each week,” Dempsey said. “My biggest challenge is trying to balance school while still trying to get better every day at practice and staying connected with the team because I miss out on a lot of team-building activities because I am at track most of the time.”
Time management becomes a critical skill for these athletes, who must also prioritize schoolwork. With limited hours in the day, finding time to complete assignments and study for quizzes and tests adds another layer of difficulty to their already busy schedules. Junior Felipe Selle shares how he balances schoolwork while also playing tennis and soccer.
“I use my free periods and my free time to do all my work, I have to make sure I am focused and that I lock in to and not get distracted so that I stay successful in my classes,” Selle said. “Sometimes it is overwhelming because there is so much going on and I really just have to grind it out and get it done because at the end of the day you got to do what you got to do to stay successful.”
Although it is hard to balance schedules and keep up with schoolwork, there are some things that benefit the athletes that take the risk of playing two sports in one season. Dempsey shares what she thinks the benefits of running track and playing soccer at the same time are.
“I really think my skills from track like getting faster and running a lot to get faster help me with soccer because it is a lot easier in the game if I am fast,” Dempsey said. “It makes running in the soccer games a whole lot easier because I am more conditioned from track.”