Having a busy AP schedule during school, going to practice after school, and expecting to play at the end of the week is a schedule that some student athletes have deal with. Whether that may be a sport within the school or outside the school, keeping busy is something that’s part of the norm.

Varsity Softball Coach Schuett talks about what athletes acquire, “The development of sportsmanship, the importance of being a well-rounded student, the adherence to time-management strategies, and the fostering of meaningful friendships and memories both on and off the field.”

Wanting to know the secret behind how athletes manage to do well in school especially having AP classes all while being a star athlete on the field, I talked to Varsity Football Player Taylor Morioka. “All those students that don’t play sports get to go straight home, but I have to go to practice and learn time management,” Morioka said. These athletes have a lot more than what a normal student may have on their plate. But with that comes many benefits along with it and learning new life lessons.  

Schuett looks back on his student athlete time in high school and remembers specifically, “the importance of loyalty to one’s team and persistence towards achieving team goals.”

Most people would say that these students get it easy in what’s expected out of them. “If anything I expect more out of the athletes,” said Varsity Football Coach Cerasani. They go to class with the expectation of being one of the best. “I see my athletes as leaders in our school,” Cerasani said.

One way or the other they are expected to get the job done. Varsity Football Coach Cerasani states, “They have an hour before practice and the morning to go see teachers,” he explained. The practice time that they are given is never an option. Any time these players are in danger of failing a class they not only have to deal with the academic consequences but physical as well. “I’ll usually make them do a little more conditioning to be sure it doesn’t happen again,” he said. Updowns, 1-legged bear crawls, and barrel rolls greet football players who aren’t making it in the classroom.

Most people assume athletes get the benefit of the doubt when it comes to late assignments and missing work because they have such a busy schedule. But in fact that is actually the opposite. Schuett explained, “Athletics and activities are never an excuse to postpone or dilute schoolwork; academics and learning must always come first.”

All these expectations may cause people to ask why student athletes put themselves through the daily morning struggle. But what makes them stand out is there commitment to time-management, organization, loyalty, and leadership.