I have come to find that there are a few misconceptions about a student athlete's life from outsiders. Whether it's that people aren't aware of the mandatory workouts, study hall/tutoring hours, meetings after meets or the countless other activities that fill their days, that a lot people aren't aware of. I would also like to mention that Division 1 equestrian, which I am a member of, is not on the same level as D1 football, basketball, soccer or other much more rigorous sports. However, it is the only experience I have.
Below is a typical day for our team, which is similar (give or take a little) to most other sports teams.
5:20 A.M.
Rise and shine, it's time for morning workouts. A typical workout will last for an hour (or a little over) and includes running, weightlifting and circuit training. There's a lot of sweating, it's gross.
8:00 A.M.
Ah, breakfast time. As our nutritionists would tell you, this is crucial for getting us through the rest of the day. Personally, it's also my favorite part of the day. When I tell you this is the time to chow-down I really, truly, mean it. Eggs, waffles, cereal, fruit, granola you name it, we eat it. Now we are fueled for the day, and by that, I mean the next three hours because that's when we will be hungry again.
9:00 A.M. - 1:00 P.M.
Good 'ole class time. Now, it depends on the student but a good amount of athletes have 8:00 AMs, so they are getting a head start on the day. Typically our advisors will try and make our class schedules so that we go from class to class to class to class; that way our afternoons are free for practice. The majority of us, well at Baylor University at least, get out sometime between 12:00-2:00 PM. Athletes are mixed into all the classes. So, no, we don't take separate easier classes. Also, if it seems like we are off in our own world please don't take offense. It's not you, it's us. We are exhausted.
1:30 - 4:30 P.M.
IT'S PRACTICE TIME. What happened to lunch, you ask? Oh, yes, being an athlete sometimes means you eat quickly right before practice or while you're getting dressed for practice. Now, practice times differ for every sport as well as the duration of practice. For equestrians, we typically spend about three hours (sometimes more) at the barn. Also, sometimes practices are broken up into different time groups so if you're in the latter one, good luck, you have a loooooonnnngggg day. I also want to add that while some practices air on the easier side, most of the time practice is where we work on technique, skill, and endurance, so it's not a walk in the park.
6:00 P.M.
Now, post-practice and showering, it's dinner time. Food! It's an exciting time, it really is. We have earned those extra sweet potato fries, so load up our plates, please? By this time you might be wondering, It's already 6:30 PM (or later), when do you do study for tests or do homework? Ah yes, what a great question. I'll explain...
7:00 P.M.
Sometimes athletes are still wrapping up dinner at this time, but this is when most start to transition into homework mode. In the evening athletes might meet with their scheduled tutors* or earn study hall hours (if mandatory, which for some teams they are). It can be a little chaotic at times, so if the hours aren't mandatory and we don't have tutoring that night we just go home or someplace else for some quality homework or studying time.
10:00 P.M.
This is personally when I go to bed, but honestly, sometimes it's earlier. That 5:00 AM wake-up call sneaks up on me. Hopefully, all our homework was completed in the three-hour span because at a little past 10:00 PM it gets a bit hard to stay awake. The eyelids closing without approval is real.
There are a few things I neglected to mention in the schedule and they are the team meetings, physical therapy (if needed), rehab (such as cold tubs, icing, cupping, stretching, STEM, etc...) and having a social life. Now try and fit all those additional activities into this schedule. Can it be done? Yes, but it isn't easy and it sure is tiresome.
But, in the end, it's worth it.
*Tutor disclosure: We have tutors available to us (we don't all use them), not to do our homework but to help us learn what we missed on days spent competing, or because we can't make office hours because of practice/workouts/meetings.
