As my sophomore year of college begins, I think this is a good time to reflect on my experience so far as a student athlete. If you don’t already know, Lenoir Rhyne is a division two school which basically means our athletics are important, but getting an education is our primary goal. Most of us will not go on to compete professionally.
The swim team had a meeting just yesterday where the athletic director spoke and something she mentioned really stood out to me. She said, “Here at LR we have a tradition of excellence in both our academics and athletics." Most schools say the same thing, but how many truly live up to that? It often is not the school who creates these great student athletes, but the individuals who hold themselves to high standards.
Last year I took my sport extremely seriously, and I put swimming before everything--sometimes even academic opportunities. It is an easy path to go down, but not a very enjoyable one or even challenging. Being dedicated to only one thing is the easy way out, yet the path that often many take.
So here I am getting ready to begin my second collegiate season and within the first week, I have already gotten involved in more than I did all freshman year. Is it too much? Only time will tell. But I am taking a proactive approach to my college experience. Even if I was not academically gifted, there is plenty I could have done with sports to get involved, I simply took a road that steered me in many different directions.
Being a student athlete does not have to define you. It does not have to take up your entire life. It is okay for our priorities to shift as we “grow up." So what does being an athlete and a student mean to you?
