Many students participate in extracurricular activities. Among these activities are sports, both in school and out of school. Sports during the school year can be very time consuming, especially if the student plays more than one sport.

   Student athletes are plentiful around the school. Some play numerous sports as well as undergoing rigorous academic programs such as International Baccalaureate and AP classes. Students who participate in these activities have to manage their time to be able to balance school, clubs, and the sports they play.

   Sometimes, students go from a school practice to their club team practice, which leaves little time to be able to complete their homework or study for a test. In order to get it done, they use any available time they can get in order to finish it. This means that they work on it when they have free time in class, at lunch, and after their practices.

   Senior Erin Harris is the president of Student Government Association. Not only does she have to balance everything involved with SGA, she also is a part of the cross country, soccer, and lacrosse teams at school. “It’s hard, but I just try to focus on my homework right after my sports every day,” said Harris. “I have to be responsible and avoid distractions.”

   Junior Julie Castner is also involved in numerous sports. She participates in volleyball, soccer, and lacrosse, which are both in school and out of school. Castner is enrolled in the IB program, which includes a lot of work. She uses her time on bus rides and in between her practices to complete her homework.

   Both Harris and Castner know that they have to sacrifice other things to be able to manage their sports and school work. “It can be easy, but I have to give up other things, such as TV time,” said Harris. “It affects my sleep because I try to get all my homework done before I go to bed,” said Castner.

   In order to participate in sports at school, the student athlete must maintain a 2.0 GPA. The athletes use this rule as their motivation to make sure they complete all their school work to keep their grades up. “My sports don’t affect my school work, if anything, my participation in sports keeps me motivated to do better,” said Harris.