Being a student-athlete is one of the most rewarding things, but it is a special brand of hard. Not everyone will understand your struggle. The truth is the only people who will ever really understand the struggle of student-athletes are the ones that have lived it before or are currently living it. So I guess there’s comfort in knowing you’re not dying alone!

1. Hearing your alarm go off at 5 a.m. every day.
2. Getting no sleep because you had to stay up until 3 a.m. to study for that huge test.
3. Being sore all the time.
4. Wondering why you even go shopping because you know you’ll never wear the nice clothes.
5. Throwing your hands in the air and yelling “I quit”, even though that would never happen
6. Saying no to every event you’re invited to because you have to get up early the next day
7. Wanting to take 6 naps in a day but never able to make time for it.
8. Having to do laundry 3 times a day because you have to wear the same outfit for lift, conditioning, and practice.
9. Being hungry all the time because you burn twice the calories of a normal person.
10. Actually missing all this stuff when the season ends because at the end of the day you wouldn’t trade your sport for the world.

Don’t get me wrong, I love being a collegiate athlete. There’s nothing more rewarding than representing your school on a daily basis and playing the game you love. Just always remember to embrace the grind…this is something truly special and when it's gone, you'll want it all back.