By Sophia Bui
Is there a difference between being a student doing a sport–and a student athlete? Students need to be aware of the responsibilities that come alongside signing up for a sport. Although sports build companionship, skills, and provide advantages for the future, it often takes time away from your daily life. Patience and determination are the key to successfully become a student athlete.
Senior Megan Vo, Varsity Girls’ Golf captain, expresses her opinion on the hardships of being a student-athlete at Fountain Valley High School (FVHS).
“Through playing golf, I’ve learned so much about myself and grown from all of the games and practices in my four years,” Vo said. “However, being a student athlete was a challenge for me, [and] getting home at 8 at least twice a week made it difficult to balance academics as well. There were times [when] I had to study until the morning, but never in my mind did I regret being an athlete.”
Vo shines on the struggles she faced when responsibilities were overlapping one another. However, the challenges lead to the ultimate goal–the one we wanted all along. To be able to fulfill passion, build integrity and improve sportsmanship, Vo advises other upcoming student athletes to value their time and health.
“My advice to upcoming student athletes would be to always do your homework ahead of time or right when it is assigned because you never know when you’ll have a long practice or a slow game,” Vo said. “My future self thanks my past self for not procrastinating on homework every night.”
The overwhelming student athlete lifestyle can lead someone to feel discouraged, dislike their sport or even quit their passion. Vo acknowledges that tiredness is inevitable, however, certain things keep her going.
“My team at [FVHS] motivates me to do better, and I want to set an example for them,” Vo said. “I want to encourage them to enjoy and love the game like the seniors on the team before.”
As students, we’re responsible for our own wellbeing–and it’s best to do what makes you happy.
“My advice to students in general is to love the things you do,” Vo said. “You should find a hobby you really love and put the effort in to improve and grow so it doesn’t feel tedious to do. Grades shouldn’t determine you, it’s important to have fun and do things outside of school.”
