A double athlete and student, I play two sports while also going to school. My days consist of getting to school at 8 am, being there until 2-3 pm, after that I will either have sports from 4-6 pm, 3-7 pm, or 6-8:30 pm, and after everything, I get home to have hours of homework and studying done. The two sports I do are cross country and horseback riding. This is my second year of doing both at the same time.

Being a student and an athlete is challenging because you are expected to perform well in two different environments. Being a student includes your school expecting you to excel in your studies and get good grades. The school says they also want you to make lots of friends and have lots of hobbies, but the truth is, how do you have time for school, hobbies, friends, and oh, of course, yourself?

The student/ athlete combo involves practicing five or more days a week and competing in that sport. Your coaches want you to improve your endurance and strength every day, win races and competitions, be a good team player, always be positive and get good grades to stay on the team.

A lot of decisions come with this lifestyle, decisions as: do I want to only do one sport and use the time I would use for another sport for a job, or do I want to not do a sport and use that time for extra clubs and time for friends? I chose to do two sports and school, but this takes a lot of time and balance.

When I schedule my week, I have to make time for my homework, time with friends, time with family and time for myself. And to be honest, I don’t know when I will make time for myself.  All of the things I have to do make me feel like I made the wrong decision in choosing to do both sports. I never have time to simply hang out with my friends or get work turned in on time. I always feel like I have something to do, like I can never relax without something on my mind. The constant weight of these sports and school on my shoulders makes me feel like I can never get away, even if it’s just for a moment.

I would say that’s the hardest part of being a double athlete and student, you never really know when or how to make time for yourself, because with school you can always find a way to make time for it whether that means working on it before, after or during school in those seven designated hours. For practice, you have those designated two to three hours to work on that sport specifically. But at the end of the day when you get home, no matter what, you usually still have those assignments that didn’t get turned in during the day so you have to get those done. After an exhausting day your family might say they want to do something together, or you have to walk the dog or do chores, it feels like even though I have already done so much that day I can’t just lie down and go on my phone, I still have responsibilities in my home to do.

So what is the reality of being a double athlete and student you might wonder? The short answer is never truly having a moment to take care of yourself.