How Do RHS Students Balance Sports With Maintaining Good Grades?

By Kaiya McLane

As a student athlete, I understand that maintaining good grades, finishing assignments, and studying for tests can be a struggle for high school athletes. Not having enough time at home due to a busy schedule, or just burnout is typical, and happens to 60% of high school athletes. High school athletics are time-consuming, and not the best for those with packed schedules. But I’m here to give you some advice on how to work both into your schedule!

Time management is key, and if you can properly set a schedule for yourself, and manage your time correctly, you’re on the right track! Writing in a planner, or setting reminders or alarms is a great way for you to set time for yourself to complete any missing or late school work. It’s an important skill to learn, and also helps you set boundaries for yourself. If you have two hours before bed, and you have an assignment to finish, but you also want to catch up on your favorite TV show, you could set a timer for 45 minutes to get your assignment done, and then you have the remaining time to reward yourself by having some free time. 

Say you have a big test the next morning, but you don’t have much time to study. First, make sure you get enough sleep. Sleep is crucial for the brain, prior to testing. Sleeping actually improves memory! Whether you believe it or not, getting plenty of rest is the best start to having a successful test. When you have extra rest, you will be in a better mood, meaning you won’t feel as burned out when taking the test.

I hope this information helped provide you a better understanding of how to maintain good grades, well also being a student athlete.

Sources

Ward, Tavish, et al. “Prevalence of Stress Amongst High School Athletes (V2).”

 Health Psychology Research, vol. 11, Feb. 2023, https://doi.org/10.52965/001c.70167.

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