Graphic made in Canva by Alan MenendezFlores.

Sophomore Timothy Smeds is a hard-working student athlete who also has the discipline to finish his school work in his free time. “Being a student athlete takes a sacrifice like my free time, work time and even some opportunities, but it’s up to the individual to make it worthwhile,” said Smeds.

Smeds has to focus on the student part of being a student athlete. He is taking AP Biology and Algebra 2 Honors, both difficult classes. After class, Smeds take time in lunch to get his work done. He said that tough classes make him work harder in order to excel.

After Smeds gets done with his work, he has track practice after school until 5:30 pm. He is a long distance runner, so he runs 5-7 miles a day. “Timothy Smeds works hard every day at practice. He puts in the effort needed to improve his times, and you can see the results at each meet. His success comes from his hard work,” said Long Distance Coach Rose Brogan.

Smeds takes time to stretch after his hard workouts to prevent injury. Before meets, he warms up slowly to have the best results. He also focuses on fruits, vegetables and carbs to fuel up before races. “Eating poorly definitely has a negative impact on performance, but that does not necessarily mean that eating junk food will lead to a poor race performance from a biological standpoint. As long as someone gets what their body needs, they will do great in their races,” said Smeds.

When Smeds goes home after practice, he eats dinner to cool down. He does a little more homework he has not been able to complete in school. He plays games like Tom Clancy’s “Rainbow Six Siege” with friends. He winds down by reading his Bible and spending time with God, reading the book of John to finish his day.