Ever wonder what your college campus is like when you’re home on break? If you’re a collegiate athlete, you’ve experienced a holiday staying at school. Whether you’re stuck on campus during Christmas, spring break, or even parts of the summer, there’s a certain feeling to being at school when nobody else is.

For one thing, the food service closes. Since students aren’t technically allowed on campus, the dining hall obviously isn’t open. Therefore, athletes have to scrounge for food, either by going out or making something out of the remaining snacks in their room. This becomes a hassle, especially when you’re all broke college kids that hate spending money on dumb groceries. The plus side to this, however, are the team dinners. There’s nothing that bonds a team together more than food!

Something else that is very different during a break is the empty campus. During the semester, campuses are always bustling with people walking to and from class. During the holidays, it’s solely the athletes. It’s actually pretty eerie knowing that you’re the only people in such a large space. Fellow athletes of the different sports are usually creeping around somewhere, too…

Even though holidays are best spent with family, it’s not so bad with your teammates either. Thanksgiving or spring break spent playing the sport you love is never a bad thing. It may seem tough at the time, but it’s only four years of your life. You’ll live! Besides, change is a good thing.

Being a winter athlete, especially in Washington, there isn’t much to do when you’re not practicing or playing games. You can usually find them cuddled up in blankets watching Netflix when they’re not grinding. A lot of their friends are at home, so they generally stay cooped up in their rooms like hermits when it’s so cold outside.

For fall athletes, it’s nice to get to campus before the rush of students arrive. Getting to settle in weeks before everyone else alleviates a lot of the stress of moving back in. On the flip side of that, the spring athletes get to stay later and move out after the others. Not only is packing/unpacking much easier, it’s beautiful outside! They get to enjoy the sun while playing the sport they love.

When living in the dorms, breaks are heaven to the athletes. Endless parking spaces and quiet dorms are almost the best part of being on campus alone. On top of that, the wifi is at its prime. Although the dorms are empty and silent, it’s also a little creepy roaming the maze-like halls of your dorms not really knowing who all is there.

If there’s at least one thing that all athletes can agree on, it’s the weird feeling we get when all the students return to campus. We’re happy to see everyone, but also a little salty that we no longer get to run the school…