Time management among student-athletes is constantly changing as more and more students are learning important skills to help juggle sports and school at once.

Student-athletes in today’s world are progressing in skills that may help them in the long run when it comes to time management. Trying to juggle multiple things like playing football and taking 3 AP classes or being a star basketball player and having a 4.0 GPA can result in beaten-down high school students. There are varying opinions when it comes to whether student-athletes really have enough time in their day to get done with that they need to accomplish.

“Take notes. Don’t imagine that you’ll have time later. You won’t,” band teacher Geordie Smith said. “Just as you rely on your teammates in your sport, you need to rely on your classmates to help keep you up to date on what’s due.” All of these strategies will help student-athletes in getting their work done on time and managing that limited time so that they aren’t overloading themselves.

Some student-athletes may claim that managing their time and getting work done can be a challenge, especially when these athletes have 3-hour practices or games after a long day of school. Smith explained that athletes are “pretty good at strategizing how to use their time well” and don’t procrastinate to the point that they have no time left for schoolwork, resulting in “really good grades.”

Smith described how student-athletes can take advantage of extra time and how learning centers can help get that work out of the way that may be conflicting with extracurriculars, such as sports.

“[You should utilize] GLC time between classes. For me, it’s you can keep retaking tests. I think in a math setting that’s something that makes sense, other classes, it’s less logical, but sometimes it takes a while to master a concept,” noted Smith.

Transitioning over to a student’s perspective on the topic, they may very well have a different opinion on whether student-athletes are receiving enough time to accomplish everything that they need to do. After arriving home in the afternoon, many students may be tempted to pick up that cell phone or turn on the TV and put schoolwork off until all hours of the night.

“I just try and manage my time…I try not to put things off sometimes, it’s hard not to resist doing that, but for the most part I try not to put things off and just do them when I should be,” said Freshman Darrien Sheldon, a water polo player and swimmer. Procrastination may be a problem among teenagers and adults, but getting your homework done on time and early could help you out in the long run.

Sheldon arrives home at around 5:20 or 5:30, but his homework load isn’t as much as he expected due to his full use of GLC, where he completes most of his homework. Student-athletes are using the skills gained from juggling sports and school at once to help them progress in the classroom and on the field.

“I honestly believe you have to have a social life, so…I’m not gonna burn somebody for falling behind, because this is still an essential part of childhood,” Smith said. “If you’re not hanging out with your friends at all because you’re working too much, that seems problematic to me.”