Making the transition into becoming a college athlete is an exhilarating process. There is no better feeling than putting on the jersey and becoming a representation of not only your team but the school and the community.
However the transition to playing a collegiate sport can also be an overwhelming process. The game is faster, the players are stronger, training is tougher and on top of it all, you are also balancing the demands of being a college student. I have been in your shoes before and know how nerve racking it can be in anticipating but I have learned some valuable things along the way that will be beneficial for all of you.
So before you take the jump into the best four years of your athletic career, keep in mind these three things:
1) Time Management
Time management is everything when it comes to being a student athlete. It’s the same thing as having a full time job. There are days when you will have 6am practice followed by a full day of classes and the only thing you want to do is go home and take a nap (naps are an athletes best friend) but alas you have 3 hours of homework to get done. Just reading that over makes me exhausted.
However with having such a rigorous schedule all the time means that when a time frame opens up to get work done you immediately take advantage. It helps build a routine. I find that I get better grades when I am in season than when I am not because I know I only have X amount of time to get it done.
As a student athlete you need to keep a cumulative GPA of a 2.0 or higher in order to compete in your sport. That being said the athletics department offers study hall to all the athletes.
So when you get a day off take advantage of getting ahead in your school work trust me it makes life so much easier. Binge watching Netflix will always be there for you when the season is over.
Romney Field House
2) Love The Game
Like I stated above being a student-athlete is a full time job, you will put in about 20-30 hours a week training/competing in your sport and if you don’t love the game it’s going to be a long season. Although it can be stressful I would not change being a student-athlete. When you first step foot on campus you immediately gain 20 or more new friends in your teammates. You already have a place were you can belong and your teammates truly become your second family.
I have had some duel sport friends quit one of their sports because they just didn’t love the game and were just miserable. If you dread going to practice or seeing your teammates maybe that’s a sign. You are only at Oswego for 4 years so sports or no sports it is worth it go out and find something that you love to do and look forward to everyday!
3) You Are A Representation Of SUNY Oswego
As athletes we take great pride wearing the green and gold during competition. It gives us a chance to show not only our competitors but our community what it means to be a Laker (which we don’t know exactly what a Laker is but that’s beside the point). That being said as an athlete we have that extra responsibility of being a representation of our school and what others and prospective students might think of us.
The thing about being a student athlete is that even when you are out of uniform people on campus and around the community know who you are. Character and how you represent yourself is everything, so take pride in yourself and your team! The campus and the community show so much support for our athletics so the least we can do is return the gratitude back.
Open holiday skate with the Lakers. Oswego State men’s and women’s ice hockey team members. SUNY Oswego 12/07/2014