40 percent of our student population is currently involved in a sport, but did you know that some athletes at Cabrini play more than one sport? In addition, some students transition from one sport to another. The physical and mental tolls for this kind of activity are different for every student.
Ashley Tutzauer, a junior early and special education major, has been part of multiple sports ever since her years in high school and plans to continue playing until she graduates. Tutzauer is currently a member of the women’s soccer, basketball and lacrosse team. Tutzauer explained that for every sport, every coach has their own style for practices and each sport requires running different drills.
“Right now it is very challenging because basketball just started and soccer has not finished,” Tutzauer said.
According to Tutzauer, the coaches of different teams observe other athletes on different teams and will occasionally reach out to the ones they believe are the most capable of being a part of their team. Tuzauer also added that the desire to participate in more than one sport comes from wanting to be able to do something different every day instead of feeling confined to more than one activity.
By playing more than one sport in addition to balancing classwork, the physical and mental toll can be very difficult to deal with. Kelly Sweeney, a sophomore early education major, is a member of both the lacrosse team and field hockey team. Sweeney says that there is a major physical toll on playing more than one sport.
“With playing two sports you must make sure that you are staying in shape all year round in order to succeed during the season,” Sweeney said.
Sweeney added that the mental toll can also be a lot to handle because athletes must be able to schedule their classes accordingly depending on their practice times and must be able to stay on top of all homework assignments. Kaitlyn Martin, a sophomore early and special education major, is a member of both the field hockey and softball team. Martin added that having the correct mindset is the main key to being able to handle both sports and believes that it is paid off very well in the end.
“You have to have the mental state of knowing that you can push your body for 60 minutes with some physical contact,” Martin said when explaining what is mentally and physically required for field hockey.
Martin also explained that softball requires a different field of preparation. She says that because it is a simpler sport, there are not very many physical requirements but there are many mental requirements.
According to Martin, softball requires a player to be mentally alert at all times and must be ready to act depending on the motion of the ball.
For every student-athlete involved in more than one sport, the physical and mental demands can be different based on the sport, the practice drills, and the responsibility that each athlete has outside of the sport including homework, class schedules, jobs, and more.
The one thing that both sports share is the fact that both sports require athletes to be in top shape. Many athletes at Cabrini seem very committed to their multiple teams and are able to handle the mental-physical tolls that go with being a part of them.
