The life of a student-athlete, while exciting, has never been one that is easy. Their days consist of intense practice schedules, long travel days and constant games followed by multiple classes with hard work deadlines. With such a packed schedule, it is hard to imagine how these athletes find time for anything other than school and sports.
“It can be a lot,” senior football safety Rashad Wisdom said. “Trying to juggle your football life, school life and personal life, it can be hard.”
Many other UTSA student-athletes have shared this same sentiment.
“I feel like it’s normal for a student-athlete to just feel overwhelmed a lot of the time, but I mean we gotta do what we gotta do,” senior soccer defender Sasjah Dade said.
The schedule of an in-season collegiate athlete is indeed a brutal one. For football, Friday and Saturday are often completely dedicated to the sport alone.
“Friday and Saturday, those days are basically taken out of your schedule,” Wisdom said. “You’re really cut down to five days that you got to try and figure out how to manage.”
With some days starting as early as 5:30 a.m. and ending close to 9 p.m., it can definitely be a challenge to maintain a healthy balance between school, sports and personal time. Wisdom even went as far as to say that on Tuesdays, he does not have time to log into his computer until about 6:30 p.m.
While there is no concrete solution to maintaining a work-life balance, many student-athletes have credited time management and working ahead as the biggest habits that have helped them in their time here at the university.
One of the biggest advocates for time management is basketball point guard Adante’ Holiman.
“Last year my freshman year was pretty hard,” Holiman said. “It was really a lack of time management, getting used to having class, practice and schoolwork.”
Holiman also claims that since his struggles freshman year, he has learned to work ahead and never feel too overwhelmed by work.
“I work ahead in most of my classes,” Holiman said. “I feel like I just have to get it together and get it done.”
Volleyball’s sophomore middle blocker, Katelyn Krienke, also added that turning in work beforehand has helped her during her time at UTSA.
“It is really hard for me with my major and my schedule,” Krienke said. “A huge thing for me is I take some breaks, but I like to get all of my stuff done beforehand.”
Another huge advocate for time management, Krienke believes that while everyone may deal with their time differently, it is important to always maintain an organized schedule and focus on work when there is enough time.
With such busy lives, it is important that UTSA student-athletes take time out of the day to relax and focus on themselves.
“If there’s a day I feel I need to relax, I’m going to take that day,” Wisdom said. “I’ve learned to understand that work’s going to get done eventually, there’s no reason to stress about it.”
When asked about his routine to unwind from all the stress of school and sports, Wisdom stated that campus walks and library visits are how he primarily relaxes his mind and remembers everything will be fine. Other athletes such as Dade claim that “doing something that’s out of routine” always helps to decompress and relax the athlete’s mind.
“Sometimes we have a movie night. Doing something chill really helps to just relax,” Dade said when asked about her routine.
The idea of decompressing and relaxing is essential to maintaining a healthy work-life balance for student-athletes at UTSA. Players such as Krienke have a “Sunday reset” day if there is no volleyball game.
“I’ll go shopping or go to the store,” Krienke said. “I’ll kind of just do something a little more money spending-wise just to give myself a break. I try not to do school all the time.”
Whether it is taking a campus walk, shopping or just having a movie night, almost all student-athletes have found their own way to decompress from the stress that comes with such an intense way of living.
While it is nowhere near the perfect life it is made up to be, the life of a collegiate athlete is certainly a special one. Tasked with juggling numerous aspects of life, their ability to maintain a healthy lifestyle amid their intense sports seasons and schoolwork schedules is truly extraordinary. Living a life bombarded with practice times, game days, film meetings, exams and incredible amounts of homework, the life of a student-athlete is indeed a lot to manage.
Though each athlete’s routine may be different, their dedication and discipline towards their respective sports and classes should be applauded and praised by all who come into contact with them. They are truly incredible role models who represent UTSA to the best of their abilities.
