The life of a student athlete is both busy and stressful. Here at Central Kitsap, we have a number of students who excel in both sports and academics, but they make sure to try and put the student before the athlete. 

The constant go can be hard for some athletes and their school work. The hours that other students have for homework is partially taken up by training and traveling for athletic events. 

Kennedy Threadgold, a junior, is a multi-sport athlete who has played a variety of sports from a young age. First she began playing soccer at the age of five, and a few years later she started basketball and fastpitch.  She played all three sports throughout middle school and is currently finishing up her junior year as a varsity athlete.

Threadgold says, “I don’t have a lot of time to go home, do homework, and then I end up procrastinating my homework and then saying I’m going to do it later, but then never having enough time.”

Eleanor Hebard, a senior swimmer, has been swimming since the age of seven or eight. She now holds a swimming record for the 400 free relay. Hebard also feels homework time is valuable, as she is a member of orchestra and many Advanced Placement classes. Hebard says, “Less time to do work and so that also meant less sleep. You either sleep or you do your homework.”

Roger Eagan, a senior, is another multisport athlete. He is the captain of the boys swim team at CK and a soccer player outside of CK. He also commented on the effect of sports and time.

He had important things to say, but one thing that stood out most was “I don’t put pressure on me, period.” Later followed with “I mean the whole leadership thing with being captain, but in terms of performance no.”

Eagan says “I’m not as bad at time management,” regarding how since freshman year he has grown.

All of the student athletes that I spoke to seemed to agree that time seems to be what is needed the most, as there are late practices that are a few hours long and finding a good balance between needs.

Threadgold says “They put student athletes at a higher level because they have to balance between two things,” followed by “…sometimes it’s hard to keep up with my schoolwork.”

Hebard says “It’s hard to balance and you end up making sacrifices, and that’s just how it goes.”

These sacrifices that athletes make are either sleep, school, or your sport. 

Threadgold says “I feel like I get tired easily but then I get enough sleep, but I’m still tired when I wake up in the morning.”

Hebard says “Some people sacrifice their academics and some people sacrifice their athletics,” continued with “I’ve been the athletic side of that.”

In the end, student athletes seem to all agree that pressure to maintain a good academic record while also training can be difficult but, in the end, it’s worth it.