10 Things Only College Athletes Understand

1. Assembling the jigsaw puzzle that is your schedule.

One Word: Impossible. It is nearly impossible to schedule all of the classes you need/want in one semester without conflicts. Scheduling day is a true test of a Student-Athlete’s sacrificing skills. Take the class you want with that great professor and miss 30 minutes of practice or take African Art History with a professor who earned a 2.0 ratemyprofessor.com score at 8 am? It isn’t easy kids. (The answer is always African Art History).

2. Off Season? More like preseason.

It’s Off Season? Yeah right. Although games aren’t being played, there is no off-season for us SAs. Practices, Conditioning, Lift, etc. You may think this is the time to relax, but it is the exact opposite. It’s time to start preparing for next season.

3. Conditioning. No witty title because this is no joke.

Conditioning, the one word that can send a chill down any student athlete’s spine. And no, it is not like running the tests in gym in high school. There will be blood, sweat, and most definitely tears. You’ll contemplate quitting once or twice. You’ll think about ways to get out of running more than that. But it has to end eventually, right?

4. 6 AM Lifts, or as I like to call them, "dead" lifts.

There is no sound more devastating than that 5 AM alarm on lift days. Let’s face it, no one is excited to exercise at 6 AM, but SA’s “gotta do what they gotta do.” Since most of us are barely alive, it should be a safety hazard to be handling heavy equipment at that hour of the day.

5. Teammates are different than friends.

The teammate relationship is better than any other. There will always be someone to get food with, study with, workout with, laugh with, cry with, and the list goes on and on. They will see you at your best, as well as at your worst, but will always love you regardless.

6. The is no "looking good" for class.

There are many downsides of going to class straight from a long practice. Aside from hunger and exhaustion, the worst is the look . The look occurs when someone stares at you while trying to figure out if you just showered or if it's down pouring outside because it can’t be possible to be that sweaty.

7. People will think you only own three shirts.

One of a college athlete’s favorite things is gear. We get shirts, shorts, sweatshirts, sweatpants, socks, etc. The bad thing is, your classmates will think its all you own.

8. Road Trips: where hanger, leg cramps, and team bonding meet.

This isn’t your average “annual family drive to Florida.” Picture this, 20-40 girls watching the same movies, playing the same games, and eating the same snacks for hours on end. Sound terrible? Well we love it.

9. The best day of the week: Game Day.

That anxious feeling you get on game day is unlike any other. The anticipation to step on that field with your teammates is indescribable. Game day hair, game day music, and game day everything is better than any other day.

10. That "BIG WIN" Feeling.

Whether it is against a Top 10 team or your conference rival, running on to the field/court as the buzzer rings, screaming and cheering, will never get old. It’s the moment we work for all year. From the blood, sweat, and tears of conditioning, to the countless hours of running the same drills, all of these things lead up to these few, precious moments that only come around a couple of times each season.