It can be difficult and stressful trying to manage school and sports. We talked to a variety of student athletes at La Salle about how they keep a healthy balance between being a student and an athlete. Here are their responses:

Sport(s): Softball

“I usually have practice right after school so I go right from school to practice and then, as soon as I get out of practice I rush home and I prioritize what I need to do. [I do this] by setting up a list on a notepad and then I check off each thing on my list. I take 5 minute breaks between each subject so I can get a snack or something and that’s pretty much it.”

– Hannah Rice, sophomore 

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Sport(s): Golf

“I like to spend time practicing for my sports but school work always comes first. As a student athlete, student comes first in [the phrase] student athlete. So, I will get home and do my homework right away and then I’ll have a snack, relax, and then if I have anything else I will do that. Then, I will go practice [my] sports.”

– DJ Bielak, freshman

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Sport(s): Volleyball & Track

“Basically how I balance [school and sports] is I usually am in the car a lot so I transfer all my documents into Notability and I do a lot of my homework in the car…or whenever I find time and I’m not doing something, that’s when I usually start my homework because a lot of the times, I’m out late at night with sports. I also talk to my teachers about my sports schedule and let them know what’s going on in my life.”

– Mary Gach, sophomore

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Sport(s): Baseball

“Balancing homework and school has definitely changed my high school experience. My first season [during] sophomore year when I took the [fall] season off, I had so much free time that I didn’t know what to do with it. I also believe that being a student athlete will help me outside of my years at La Salle.”

– Perry Collman, junior

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Sport(s): Cross Country & Track

“Sometimes, it actually can be hard but you kind of have to find that balance. During breaks do you choose to hang out with your friends [or] work on projects instead… it’s kind of like prioritizing and figuring out what your goals [are] and if being with your friends is more important than getting a better grade.”

– Paige Baines, freshman

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Sport(s): Baseball & Cross Country

“I normally try to get my work done before practice or during class, [because] that way I don’t have to do much when I get home.”

– Roman Aragon, sophomore

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Sport(s): Volleyball

“Before practice I would always have a little bit of time before it started so I would always sit down with my friends and we would always work on homework together. If I had more homework after [practice] I would set aside some time before dinner to finish, when I get home.”

– Izzy Sprando, freshman

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Sport(s): Softball & Basketball

“I have an Honors Pass right now so I try to whip out as much homework as I can during that [or] after school when I have free time, I try to get everything done. After practice I’ll shower really fast, eat and go up to my room to try to get everything done on time. I like to stay on top of all of my assignments.”

– Hannah Sisul, senior

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Sport(s): Track

“I mostly just figure out how much time I have in the day and how much homework I’m going to have before I get home. There’s also lunch periods where you can do homework… especially if you have a long practice. It’s really just time conservation and talking to teachers to make sure they understand what’s going on.”

– Luca Blue Tidrick-Schmidt, freshman

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Are you a student athlete? Let us know in the comments below what you do to keep a balance between school and sports!