Life of a Student-Athlete

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6 a.m. the alarm goes off. Time to wake up and start the day. Breakfast with your teammates leading straight hours of meetings and practice. 12 p.m. and we break for lunch and a short reprieve until the second wave starts. A couples hours set for a break then turns into minutes as it is time for more meetings, lifting, testing, and a walk-through of practice. 5 p.m. we break for dinner. At this time the joy begins to grow because this signifies the day of football is coming to an end. Dinner ends and the day is concluded by 3 more hours of meetings with maybe an activity thrown in. 9 p.m. the first day of preseason camp is over; then it hits. You repeats this 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. cycle for days on end. I leave my family, friends, and home to come and endure this pain of the body. Waking up with injuries of all kind to go and sustain more. There the question remains; "why?" 

"Why do this to yourself?" or "How do you keep balance of everything?" and finally "Why don't you just quit?" All of these questions are asked of me quite often as I continue my career as part of the Ohio Northern University Football Team. To all who asks these questions my answer is the same; "because I love what I do." College football is not like high school. It's more than just a game, just a pass-time; it's a job. The long hours and days blending together are rough, but the sense of belonging, the feeling of "home" that comes from everyday being out on the field with my teammates is unparalleled. Everyone who continues a sport into college does so with the drive and passion that exists in the heart and only satisfied by doing that which they love. For me, that is football. This is why I play and will continue to play as long as I can. A game becomes a lifestyle, teammates become family, and the love continues to grow. 

Until Next Time, 
James 

Comments

  1. Alexandra GeslerSeptember 4, 2019 at 4:30 PM

    I honestly have been guilty of asking my friends these exact questions. I don't have the time to sometimes sit down and eat dinner so how do they have the time to go to a two hour practice every day? I was a three sport varsity athlete in high school, but I know that is nothing compared to college sports. I almost swam here at ONU, but with a back injury that needed surgery I was unable to do so. Some days I am thankful that I didn't swim in college, but other days I miss the participating in the sport. I'm glad you are happy with your choice to play football here!

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