"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take.” said by the famous Wayne Gretzky. Student athletes are all around the world working hard not only for their grades, but for their sports as well. Being a student athlete can be very time consuming and the only way to stay on top of their game is working ahead of schedule. There are many different results that occur from being a student athlete such as the character traits, and the passion that are picked up along the road to success. In order to be a successful student athlete not only must a person be willing to spend a lot of time practicing, but that person must also be prepared for all of the obstacles that can come along the way such as; stress, character flaws, and even weak mental strength.

First, the most important thing to know about student athletes is that they are very busy people. Being a student athlete can be very difficult for people especially during school time knowing that they have to do both sports and class work (Cheung, 2002). In order to forget about these obstacles one must be willing to work for that extra hour or two every day after both school and athletics. In order to be a student athlete one must not be afraid to multitask and even procrastinate a little bit (Fuentes). Even though procrastination is bad it still happens to athletes no matter how hard they try to avoid it. Being an athlete means that a person is going to be busy for most of the day, and then afterwards that person is going to be really tired from both school and their sports. Athletes should really try to do their assignments from school, a week or two early so that they don’t have to rush and cause stress on themselves. Not only can the transition from going from high school to college be stressful, but also the fact that knowing that both the classes and the athletic competition are going to get harder as well. Student athletes must be prepared to avoid failing classes, and prepare for their season all at the same time (Brandon, 2010). If one can do all of this they are the definition of a student athlete and should be pretty successful in college.

Next, being a student athlete can bring a person a lot of stress causing them to lose concentration in both school and their sport (Wilson, 2000). Stress can be the one major problem that can cause a kid to not only quit their sport, but also drop out of school. Being a student athlete causes more stress than mostly any other reasoning for a student in college to have stress. When an athlete has a big game coming up and a big project due the day after, that will cause some stress. The only way that a student can avoid having this stress is finishing their homework a week earlier, so they have time to relax after the game. Stress can also cause an athlete to stop doing a sport for a little while and completely focus on school. Now there’s nothing wrong with doing that, but stopping a sport for a while will delay the growth of an athlete’s skill level (Fuentes).That little time off could be the determining factor of winning Conference or not for their team. It’s agreed that nobody wants to be that one athlete that ruins winning Conference just because they don’t plan ahead of schedule. If a person is on a team that has small numbers, that can be a big problem for that person and the team. Stay stress free and don’t be a procrastinator and you will be fine!

In addition to being stress free, an athlete must also have good quality characteristics so that they are looked upon as role models. When a student goes to college they will grow into the adult that they want to be in the future. Being in a sport can give that student some of the good characteristics that they may want to have in the future (Brandon, 2010). As it has been said by many people, “You need to work hard now to get, your positive results in the future.” Following this quote could cause a person to work hard to get those good qualities. Being an athlete gives you good leadership qualities because you are use to working with other people and telling them what to do (Fuentes). Athletes also tend to have good respect otherwise they would get punished in their sports, for disrespecting others. Everybody agrees that having to run for being disrespectful is definitely not worth it. Student athletes are respected by others because they realize how the athletes have to work hard and are always determined to succeed. Most student athletes are good leaders, have respect, and are very passionate about both school and sports!

Next, when you see a crowd of people following a person you know that they have to be some kind of an athlete. When a student athlete goes to school they right away are known to be the “popular”, group of people (Baack). Being an athlete causes you to be more social because you’re always conversing with your fellow athletes. Being a student athlete always give that effect of being popular and not being afraid to talk with others (Baack). Athletes usually seem to be the type of people that get along well with others in most situations. Being an athlete causes you to meet more people, which is the reason for why they are so popular. The average person is usually too scared to introduce themselves to someone new because they don’t want to make a fool out of themselves. Another reason why student athletes are crucial to the school is because they are mentally strong. Doing a sport like cross country, an athlete must learn to push themselves beyond the point of which they feel like they “hit a wall”. Once an athlete passes that wall they are already that much stronger mentally and then it makes everything else easier for them. Normal students don’t know how it feels to do something that difficult and manage it mentally without any problems. That’s why student athletes are crucial parts of the school, not only because they are strong mentally, but also because they can be used as role models by others.

In order to be a successful student athlete not only must a person be willing to spend a lot of time practicing, but that person must also be prepared for all of the obstacles that can come along the way such as; stress, injuries, and even lack of sleep. People can learn that student athletes must have the patience to balance school and their sports. Being an athlete can give a person the social life that everyone dreams of and can also give them a very strong sense of pride. All people have to do to change their life actions to be similar to an athlete is have the will to work hard and be prepared for some difficult time management. It’s alright for a person to fail in the process of doing something because if you don’t fail at least once you’re not doing something right; everyone fails and then learns how to fix that problem. Athletes also have the ability to respond quickly when there are abrupt situations, and people can learn how to do that too if they want to be similar to a student athlete.





Works Cited
Baack, E. (n.d.). The effects of being an athlete. Retrieved September 15, 2011, from Effects of being an athlte website: http://www.eslbee.com/effects_of_being_an_athlete.htm
Brandon. (2010, March 12). The Benefits fo being a student athlete. Retrieved September 15, 2011, from Sideline Chatter: http://gpsathletics.blogspot.com/2010/03/benefits-of-being-student-athlete.html
Cheung, G. (2002). Life as a Student Athlete. Retrieved September 15, 2011, from ecclectica: http://www.eccelectica.ca/issues/2002/3/cheung.asp
Fuentes, H. (n.d.). Being an athlete. Retrieved September 15, 2011, from Sun Star: http://www.sunstar.com.ph.baguio/opinion/fuentes-being-athelte
Wilson, G. (2000). Comparing Sources of stress in college student athletes and non-atheltes. Retrieved September 15, 2011, from Athletic Insight: http://www.athleticinsight.com/Vol7Iss1/StressAthletesNonathletes.htm