#NODAYSOFF: The life of a DI Volleyball Player

                                                                    Week 6:  Using Your Head

Jessi Greenberg

In case you’ve been hiding under a rock for the past month, I would like to remind you that there are less than three weeks until the beginning of preseason! I don’t know about you, but to me it seems like summer has flown by this year. Of course we are all very excited for volleyball season, but there’s another thing that happens in August that some people may have forgotten about…school. As we are often reminded by our academic advisers and coaches, our official title is STUDENT-athlete. Notice how the student part comes first? That’s because not only are we expected to be elite athletes, but we are also supposed to succeed in the classroom as well. If you are currently a student-athlete then you know just how difficult it can be to balance a full class schedule with mandatory weight-lifting, practices and games. If you aren’t currently a student-athlete then let me paint you a picture of what my typical schedule might be during volleyball season:

Student-Athletes studying in our academic center, CATS



8:00am: weightlifting

9:00am-9:50am: class (did I have time to shower? Probably not)

10:00am-10:50am: more class

11:00am: lunch (hey, a girl’s gotta eat)

12:00pm-12:50pm: another class!

1:00pm: nap time in the team room (it’s necessary)

2:00pm: start getting treatment and taping before practice

3:00pm-5:30pm: practice

6:00pm – dinner

7:00pm and on: homework or studying until you fall asleep, then wake up and do it all over again

As you can see, the expression “free-time” is not a part of our vocabulary. That example I gave you was for a typical weekday, but as you can imagine, things get even more hectic on game days and road trips. Sometimes it’s hard for parents, friends, and even coaches to understand how busy we really are, but if you are a student-athlete or hope to be one someday, here are some tips for excelling in the classroom and on the court.



Tutors are a big help!



Study groups with teammates are also a huge help!

1.       Go to Class – First of all, if you don’t go to class, you’re going to get in big trouble. Second of all, going to class (and paying attention) will help you do better on homework, quizzes, and tests. I promise I’m not making this up.

2.       Don’t Procrastinate – Yes, you are extremely busy (is there an echo in here?), which means you don’t have time to put off schoolwork until three hours before it’s due. When you have a million things to do during the day, you have to take advantage of the little time you do have and get your work done. 

3.       Ask for Help – If you are having trouble in a class, don’t wait until you get an F on three tests to say something about it. Go to your academic advisors and ask for extra help, tutors, etc. They know your schedule is ridiculous, and they will be more than willing to help you. You can also ask a teammate or fellow athlete for help if they’ve taken the class before and have a good understanding of the material.

4.       Time Management - During the weekends, your time is even more limited, especially if you are on the road. I’ve found that the best time to get work done on road trips is on bus rides, plane rides, or in the hotel room before pre-game meals. It’s likely that your roommate on the road will have work to do too, so instead of watching reruns of America’s Next Top Model for six hours, turn off the TV and set aside at least an hour for some schoolwork. 

5.       Prioritize – Just because you have a game against your biggest rival at the end of the week doesn’t mean you can disregard all of your schoolwork until then. I know it’s hard to concentrate in class when you have a big game coming up, trust me, but if you get your work done at the beginning of the week then you’ll leave yourself more time to focus on the game.

If you are lucky enough to be a total nerd like me then you may have no problem with the student/athlete balancing act. However, I realize that not everyone enjoys school as much as I do. Unfortunately, you still can’t take your academics lightly. It is possible to get good grades and still compete at an extremely high level of athletics. A great example of this is the AVCA Team Academic Award, which were released by the AVCA this morning. These teams are comprised of student-athletes who have mastered the art of school and sports, which will help them be successful in life after their playing careers are over. Even though you think you are going to play sports for the rest of your life, I guarantee you won’t be chasing down a run-through when you're 80 years old. So as your preparing for the upcoming season, don’t forget that you are a student first, athlete second.

Click here to see the official AVCA Team Academic press release and the full list of recipients.