When sport season draws closer stress levels skyrocket as students try to juggle school, sports, and life. If you play a sport for a school team, you probably come home complaining about not having enough time for homework, and your parents complain how you can barely keep your eyes open.  It is never fun coming home from practice late in the evening, and staying up till the wee morning hours to finish homework.  Student athletes typically receive lower grade averages and GPA scores than students who do not participate in a sport.  How can you manage to find a balance in sports and academics, yet stay social?

First, know that school comes before any extracurricular activities.  Parents want their children to have an education, so talk to them and set up a chore schedule if needed.  Education is an important part in a person’s life; it can lead a man or a woman throughout his or her entire career.  Take learning seriously so everything else in life may come a little easier.  If you cannot seem to find a balance between sports and school, drop the sport.  Very few people make a team in the big leagues, and if you don’t make it, you need to be certain you have an education to fall back on.

Second, plan ahead and map out your time.  Buy a cheap calendar or day planner, and fill in practice and test dates.  You can even color code what you write in the calendar.  Try not to fall behind because it can be difficult to catch up.  Take your time and focus on one thing at a time, whether it be school or sport related. Give yourself allotted amounts of time to complete homework from each subject.  30 to 45 minutes for each subject should give you enough time to finish your homework.  Also do not stay up late to cram for a test the following day; it will not help you.  Get a good night’s sleep and wake up a little earlier to study before school if needed.  Do not overload yourself and add unnecessary stress to your already over-average pile of stress.   Keep everything to the minimum and when you think you have a handle on your life; branch out a little at a time, slowly trying new things.

Last but not least, treat yourself every once in a while for all your hard work.  Everyone feels the burning desire to be rewarded for a job well done. Try going out for ice cream or rewarding yourself to a weekend of Netflix.  Also, on weekends it is extremely helpful to catch up on sleep.

Remember to breathe, take a moment to relax, and focus.  It is not the end of the world if you become stressed or a little behind.  Just keep swimming and believe in yourself.

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Works Cited

Cote, Daniel. “How to Manage School Work and Extracurricular Activities.” Parenthood 360.     12 January. 2009. Web. 18 January 2014.

Staff, Cougar. “School and Sports – Where’s the Balance?” A Cougar Online. 19 October. 2006.  Web. 18 January 2014.

wikiHow. How to Manage High School Classes, Homework, Sports, and Keeping up with           Household Chores. Web. 18 January 2014.

wikiHow. How to Manage Your Time Wisely As a High School Student. Web. 18 January 2014.