The terms student athletes and athlete students sound the same but have completely different meanings. Athlete students are students in school that prioritize doing well in their sport over their academic performance, whereas student athletes find that their schoolwork takes higher priority.
All too often we hear this stereotype of “dumb jocks” who scrape by in class and only find success on the field, but this stereotype isn’t always true. Student athletes are people who can balance school and sports evenly, and if it comes to choosing, they will always put school first. If their sport gets in the way of schoolwork, they will always make sure that their schoolwork is their main focus.
“I feel putting my schoolwork over my sports is more important to me,” said junior A.J. Thomas, who plays football, basketball, and track. “I always make sure my homework is done first before I go and do extra sports.”
One thing these athletes excel at is managing their time wisely. Having good time management skills is very important for student athletes. They learn to be able to manage their time appropriately and always make extra time for school if needed.
Athlete students are those who find that athletics are more important than academics.
“I prioritize my athletics more just because I know I can go farther with that,” said sophomore Grace Migliore.
Many students like Migliore prioritize sports over academics because they see more of a future on this athletic path than they do academically. Some days, they may do the minimum in the classroom to give their sport the amount of attention they see fit. These athletes will spend more time at practice to make sure their goals with sports are complete before their goals with school are.
“I have faced many challenges with my grades because I always put sports before school,” said Layla Thomas.
Student athletes and athlete students both face challenges individually, but overall it’s what that person feels is better for them. Student athletes face the challenge of always putting school first, which makes it hard to find time to dedicate to sports. This may lower their confidence while playing. On the other hand, athlete students will see a decrease in academic performance if their attention for sports outweighs their class efforts.
In the end, whether the student chooses to focus on their classroom work or hustle on the field more, it all takes time and commitment. Finding a healthy balance between both is the optimal strategy.
“I feel it is important as a school to have a good balance between the two,” said principal Scott Dalton. “I feel, at West, we have a great balance between both academics and athletics.”
