In Student Scoop, we hear the real, first-hand accounts of the private school experience from the students themselves.
Thomas, Gr. 9
Practice, School, Life…Sleep?
Practice at 7 in the morning. Coach wants us there at 6:50. I face a dilemma. That same day I have my unit test for French. I live a hectic life. I am in high school, and am on multiple teams, one in school and another out of school. As a student-athlete, I will face conflicts between athletics and academics throughout the basketball season.
Basketball in itself is a physically demanding sport. Two practices a week, along with the expected workouts and runs when not practicing. This is just pre-season. Then there’s school. High school is tough. The workload is bigger, and the courses are harder. Luckily at RSGC I have been well prepared, but sometimes being prepared isn’t all that helpful. To do well in high school you need to be able to pay attention in class, for if you don’t, you miss crucial information. After a morning practice I get tired. When I’m tired I get distracted, therefore losing concentration in class and not understanding the lesson as well.
An easy out would be to get to bed earlier to receive the proper eight hours of sleep. Alas, I cannot do this. I live in Scarborough and take the subway home. By the time I get home it is around 4:30PM, and this is on days when I do not have anything on after school. Add in two hours of homework plus 45 minutes for dinner that gets me to 7:15PM. That’s in a perfect world. As a teenage boy I get distracted: Girls, Facebook, video games, and the basketball hoop in my backyard. Realistically I don’t finish homework until 9:45PM. Waking up at 5:30AM gives me 7 hours of good sleep.
This brings me to the big question: How do I keep an even balance between school and athletics. My answer? Not to my liking, and not to my parents. My parents believe I can get 90’s. I get high 70’s. I am, in some sense of the word, a jock. Throughout my blog I will talk about how I’m doing in school, and in sports, and how the balance of the two are working out for me.
