Being a student athlete is hard work, but so many amazing opportunities come with it. If you actually want to make it beyond high school athletics you have to work hard to be recruited, keep up with school work, and be willing to lose some time with your family and friends. A huge benefit of sports, though, is forming a bond with your teammates and staying active.

Being an athlete allows you to meet many new people that might not have come into your life if it wasn’t for sports. “A trophy carries dust. Memories last forever,” said former Olympic gymnast Mary Lou Retton. So many memories made with teammates and coaches are ones that will be treasured for the rest of your life.  FCHS junior Renee Custer, who is on the varsity volleyball team, agrees. “The fun thing about sports is the friendships that you make and the bonds with your teammates,” she said.

Many of the players on the FCHS volleyball team play more than just volleyball or continue with it through travel teams during off-season. In fact, travel sports are also the main way that high school athletes get recruited for college. The normal age to be scouted by a recruiter is around sophomore and junior year, but some players start talking to colleges even earlier. “I’ve already talked to one college and I’m on an NCSA recruiting website,” said FCHS freshman Christina Walker, who is on the varsity volleyball team.

Some athletes don’t care as much about the serious recruiting, and just focus on playing now and letting their cards play out on their own for the future. “I haven’t given much thought to recruiting, but I would love to play college volleyball,” said Custer.

Trying to make it into college athletics is a very tough task. “Being recruited takes a lot of practice and hard work,” said sophomore and softball team member, Mariah Tawney. The pressure of it all can really start to build up, but you can’t let it get to you. “Never give up, never give in, never doubt yourself,” said Custer.    

Keeping up with all of the school work is another stressful factor of an athlete’s life. In  most sports, you have to keep an A/B average if you even want a chance to play. For example, the FCHS volleyball team has practice every day until 6 o’clock, as well as games on Tuesdays and Thursdays, leaving less time to get school work finished. “It’s very time consuming and can become stressful,” said Walker.  

When most of your energy is focused on sports, it can sometimes be tough to keep up  a social life. “You miss time with friends and family and you don’t get to do as much as you want,” said Tawney. This can be hard for teens because this is the age where they all want to go hang out with friends. Luckily, athletes have all of their teammates around them to spend time with who share the same struggles.

Being an athlete is one of the most rewarding activities, but you have to be able to accept the challenges that come with it. In the words of Olympic Gold Medalist, Emil Zatopek, “An athlete cannot run with money in his pockets. He must run with hope in his heart and dreams in his head.”