The struggle of being a student athlete

The struggle of being a student athlete

Katie Cottrill, Staff Writer

I grew up in a very athletic environment. Playing most sports as a kid and then starting school and carrying them on. When I started middle school I realized what sports I actually enjoyed playing and what teams I liked to be a part of. All throughout middle school I played volleyball in the fall, I swam in the winter and I played Golf in the spring. When I hit High School I had the hard decision of either choosing volleyball or golf. In the end I knew what sport was better for me and I chose golf. During my freshman season I realized my true ability to play this sport. After my freshman season ended I had to immediately change my view point and get ready to swim. After the first 2 weeks of the season my rotator cuff got messed up and I had to sit out for a week. At the end of my season I got a concussion that ended my season. During my sophomore season I’ve had to start thinking about my future. Whether to play in college or not. I’ve struggled with this for a while on either deciding to just go to a big college or taking the risk and seeing if I can get a scholarship. I went into my swim season with a different mindset and that I wanted to make it far this season. Unfortunately, by the end I fell a little short and decided that I fully want to make my golf game as strong as possible. Being a student athlete can really take a toll on your mental health and your physical health. Getting injured and missing parts of the season can really make it difficult to get back to where you were and where you go from then. Finally it’s deciding and making the effort to see if you want to take your sport to the next level and to see where it could go in college.