Sports and school: Where do athletes find time?

For freshman basketball player Darius Pardner, being a student athlete has helped him strive to become something great.

"In order to compete you have to have a certain GPA, and in my mind, I don't want to ever just be close. I always want to exceed in everything I do. Basketball has taught me to push myself and has showed me determination. In a way, being a student athlete has allowed me to become a man and learn how to assume responsibility."

For many college athletes, each day is a struggle, a tedious juggling act between the demands of school and sports.

Despite public perception, college athletes are, and have always been, held to a higher standard. As an athlete, you are not only representing yourself, but you are representing the university a student comes from and everything it stands for.

"Our coaches are always preaching to us about the importance of school," said junior basketball player Lauren Wolfinger. "They not only want us to be on top of our game on the court, but in the classroom as well."       

In order to be successful in both the academic and athletic arenas, college athletes are required to learn how to effectively manage their time. Pouring too much time into school can result in a dip in performance on the court.  

But the opposite is also true. Unusual practice and game schedules limit the amount of time available for school. For senior softball player Christina Blanton, giving her full focus to both is a tall order.       

"To be able to fully focus on homework when needed, and then change direction and focus solely on softball was a challenge for me. Whenever juggling softball, school, work, family and a social life became too overwhelming, you realize that this is what you have been working your life up to and everything else comes into picture and makes sense," she said.

Being a student athlete requires responsibility, discipline and a strong sense of self confidence. Every day, athletes are pushed to their limits, fighting to stay on top in the classroom and on top in their sport. If an athlete does not perform to his or her requirements, everything they have worked for could disappear in a flash.    

"We are unlike any other student in this school," Wolfinger stated. "This is our job and we treat it like a job, so we dedicate our lives to being a student, and an athlete in order to do our job to the best of our ability."