“Being a student athlete benefits me in a wide range when regarding school and it drives me to try harder academically. Knowing that your coach is watching your grades and that if you slip up you could lose your spot on the team really pushes me to do my best in school,” sophomore field hockey player Ryan Taylor said. “My coaches have a big impact on my academic success. They make sure not only I but all of the team know that school comes first and that we all came here to get an education. Playing a sport is a privilege.”
The total number of student athletes across all divisions is 420,000 according to NCAA.org. In division III, there are 450 colleges and universities with 183,500 student-athletes.
“I enjoy being a student athlete here at Cabrini because of how athletic-oriented the school is. For the most part, all the other sports teams support one another at big games and such and we are all really friendly with one another,”sophomore volleyball player Anne Marie Jones said. “It’s a pretty cool environment to be around.”
All colleges and universities have student athletes and some of those schools are made up with more than others. At Cabrini college, there are 18 varsity sports teams, which makes a large majority of students something more than just students. Being a student athlete requires time management, dedication and hard work.
“During season there is more of a schedule that I have to follow and I am better at keeping on task. Off season, since I am not as busy, I procrastinate a whole lot more,” Jones said.
“Due to having a more open and flexible schedule in the off season, I definitely procrastinate more when it comes to school than I would while in season. However, I have better attendance while in season, if I miss classes I am likely to get in trouble with my coach,” Taylor said. “I don’t see a difference in my grades in season vs off season.”
College course work is never easy but when you add the responsibility of being an athlete on top of that the difficulty level increases. The time in which students complete their assignments can either be faster depending on the student and how being an athlete affects them personally.
“I procrastinate out of season more on homework because I’m not on a strict schedule where I have time on my hands out of season. I have more time to do work and study out of season but in season there’s the push to be eligible and make all academic so I work really hard to achieve that,” sophomore soccer player Sam Penecale said.
“I personally like playing a sport during school because it prevents me from procrastinating,” freshman lacrosse player Emma Rodner-Tims said. “It helps drive and organize my schedule so I know when I have to get my work done.”
Cabrini college is a Division III school, which means that the focus on being a student first is amplified. “The division minimizes the conflicts between athletics and academics and keeps student-athletes on a path to graduation through shorter practice and playing seasons, the number of contests, no red shirting and regional competition that reduces time away from academic studies.
“Student-athletes are integrated on campus and treated like all other members of the general student-body, keeping them focused on being a student first,” NCAA.org.
There are student athletes that are in season for only one semester or sometimes both. For single sport athletes, they can tend to see changes in different aspects of their lifestyle compared to when they are in season and when they are off season. The change in sleep patterns in season compared to off season is common for a lot of student athletes.
“I am better at getting sleep during season. I make sure I get good sleep during season because I want to be at my best when I am playing,” Jones said. “I am naturally more tired during season with so many games and practices going on; it isn’t usually too hard to go to sleep when I need to. Out of season, when it isn’t as demanding, I stay up later.”
The way in which student athletes fuel their body and the amount of water they drink during season has a slight difference. The big change would be with water because they are always sweating at practice and constantly needing to be hydrated during season.
“I am usually pretty conscious of what I eat and drink regardless of if I’m in season or not, but during lacrosse season I definitely am more aware of the types of food I’m putting into my body. I try to drink a ton of water and eat a cleaner, more balanced diet,” Rodner-Tims said.
“I would say that during the season I drink a lot more water and my sleep schedule is more consistent while in season but fluctuates in the off season,” Taylor said. “I am more likely to get sick while in season because an illness can be passed around quickly from a team.”
College students are known for partying so it’s normal that student athletes are faced with the option to go out and have fun. However, it can negatively affect athletes depending on how much they participate in partying. Being in season takes up so much time and energy which leaves some student athletes wanting to stay in more.
“Studies have shown that most student-athletes (72 percent) report drinking more during their off-season,” NCAA.org.
“I’d say this year I partied more in my off season. We have had so many games rescheduled because of weather that it has seemed that we have been in 48 hour rules since we’ve come back from Florida,” Sophomore Softball player Emily Smull said.
“I party more during the off season because I want to be in the best shape possible during season,” Jones said.
“As far as partying I’m not really a huge partier but I feel like off season I go out more because it’s like a release to stress and in season it’s all about soccer,” Penecale said. “In season I sleep a lot more. Whenever I have time I’m sleeping but I don’t sleep as much at night because I’m stuck doing homework that I couldn’t do during the day.”
Being a student athlete is an exciting thing to be a part of and it comes with priceless rewards for all the hard work and effort student athletes put in.
“I think being a student athlete benefits anyone because being a part of a team here is like being part of another family. My teammates and I hang out in season and out of season were together a lot. I think that everyone should be a part of a team because being a student can only teach you so much,” Penecale said “When you’re an athlete you face adversity, you learn how to be a part of something, you learn so many things you can’t pick up in a classroom. When it comes to school being on a schedule like the one sports puts you on gives you little time for errors, you can’t fall behind. You don’t have that option as a student athlete.”
