Paige Bortner

Many students who attend Hastings College are student-athletes. One of their biggest challenges is balancing sports and school. We asked two students to share some advice about how they keep up on the field and in the classroom.

“Some of the biggest challenges right now are trying to find the extra time to go in and do my poetry class with late practices and games and when the studio closes at 12,” said sophomore Madi Rhodes. Being a student athlete can cause a lot of stress. Rhodes says that having alone time, being able to recharge, and taking time to talk with family keeps her calm and helps manage her stress. She explains that her future goals keep her motivated in school, and the team keeps her motivated on the field. Rodes’ advice for current student-athletes and anyone who wants to be one is, “stay true to yourself and to work hard for yourself, your team, and your family because there will always be someone who cares about you. There will always be tough times, but you have to get rid of the noise to keep yourself the priority.” She says “don’t overthink it, believe in yourself, and just stay out of your head.”

Brady Lichtenberg says balance is the key. “The hardest thing is the time commitment because we have football practice in the afternoon and weights in the morning, so it’s finding the time to get the school work done and stay on top of stuff.” One of the strategies he uses is to meet up with friends in random places to study so there is a scheduled time to get things done. Lichtberg says, “remembering to be the best version of myself is important, and if you suck at academics, you can’t do sports, so just putting that first” helps keep him motivated. Lictenberg says he’s thankful for his time as a student-athlete and for everything he’s learned. Some advice Lichtenberg would give student-athletes is, “find the balance between sports and class. It’s easy to fall into one of them and forget about the other one, so make sure you take care of both.”