Every student knows how hard it is to keep grades up all of the time, but imagine having to juggle sports on top of all of the school work. 

It isn’t always easy, but these few students have adapted to the challenges life throws at them. 

“The hardest part is trying to find a balance between the school load and practicing,” senior Baylee Newman said. “There are times that we don’t get home until almost 11, so getting ready for school the next day, I don’t go to sleep until one and then I have to get up at 6 a.m.” 

Schedules for students might begin to feel like they eat, sleep, play and repeat. Freshman Justin Pfeffer experiences this firsthand. 

“I go to school during the day, and the afternoon changes depending on the day. Some days I train right after school and then I have practice from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. Other days I have practice from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. then I train after that,” Pfeffer said. 

For some athletes, like senior Thomas Cron, grades have never been a challenge.

“Keeping my grades up while playing a sport has never been an issue for me,” Cron said. “I always knew that if I wanted to stay in the game, I had to do well in school.” 

All of these players have different stories to share when it comes to the experiences of their sports. 

“When I was younger, I started with baseball because that’s what my brother did. As I outgrew that, I continued to love the sport, so I decided to do softball. I’ve been playing ever since then,” Newman said. 

“My dad was the one who introduced me to football. I started in third grade with flag football. Once I got old enough I started playing tackle football. After that I’ve stuck with tackle,” Cron said. “I wanted something else to do that was different from what football was like, so I chose to take up volleyball in tenth grade.”

“I started playing basketball ever since I could pick up a ball, my dad is the high school varsity coach so basketball means a lot to him. I think that’s where I got it from,” Pfeffer said. “ I started to play baseball when I was five. I enjoyed it because of my grandpa and my uncle, they taught me everything.” 

Once students get older, they may throw a job into the mix. This makes scheduling even harder for athletes.

“During the season we have practice every day and games are typically two times a week. Even during off season, it takes up time because we have indoor hitting and lifting. Between school, my job and playing softball, I don’t have much time for anything else,” Newman said. 

Although it can be stressful at times, it all pays off in the end if hard work goes into it. 

“I always try to get my schoolwork done first thing. When we are in season, it can get stressful because there is so much to do. It’s always worth it, especially during the summer because we can have fun with it, so it’s less overwhelming then,” Pfeffer said. 

When kids are concerned about their academics, it can be easy to lose sight of what they truly enjoy and want to do. 

“I go to school, then I have to go straight to practice for two or three hours. After I’m done, I do my homework and pretty much fall asleep right after,” Cron said. “Sometimes I wish I could focus more on my sport than I do my academics.” 

While this might sound like it would be extremely difficult to handle, these three players recommend getting involved in sports. 

“If you have a goal to get better every day, the drive to keep pushing will make you a better person. You have to hold yourself accountable for your actions to be as successful as possible,” Newman said. 

“Even when you don’t have a ball in your hands, you can still do so much with your sport. That’s what I love the most about it,” Pfeffer said. 

“Being a part of a group is always nice. It’s good to have people that you’re able to rely on when you’re in the game and also when you’re not,” Cron said.