Burnt out: The issue with juggling academics and athletics

Student. Athlete. You are a student before you are an athlete. Every person that plays a sport, especially for a school, knows that their grades have to be in line before they even think about competing. For months on end, I did not let my grades drop anything below a 90. With running track and attempting to balance my school work, I finally found myself burnt out.

For about a week I would show up to class and stare at my chromebook with a blank look on my face. Sometimes, I would delay going into school in the morning, trying to arrive at the latest time possible without being actually marked late. There were track meets coming up, yet practice was far from my first priority. I was not ready to admit that I was burnt out yet. I kept going to practice and staying up late doing homework. 

Everyday continued to be the same routine; wake up early, go to school, then practice 

and go home to do homework. I felt pressure from all around. The fear of letting my grades drop and letting my team down consumed me. I had my first track meet about a month ago. Around the same time, I started writing for the paper. School and track were both something I could balance at the same time until practices became harder while more projects and homework poured in. Even as the second quarter came to a close, I would constantly check powerschool, making sure my GPA never dropped below a 4.0. It was around that time when I realized that I was pushing myself too hard. 

Coming to terms with being burnt out is not the easiest thing. Especially when you have been pushing yourself for the longest, which is why knowing when and if you should stop is important. If you do not take a break when you are already burnt out, you will progressively get worse as high school goes on. Putting yourself first is knowing when you can and cannot do something. This is more important than any high school sport you could potentially compete in. Even if that means giving yourself time to breathe and quitting your sport. After all, you are a student BEFORE an athlete.