ZZ
Z
You snooze, you lose
Z
Z
Z
Wake up. Go to school. Attend practice. Do homework. Repeat. According to Shenandoah University associate professor of sports management Joey Gawrysiak, a lack of sleep has negative effects on athletic performance. “When you’re not getting enough sleep, you’re not able to concentrate. You’re not able to perform at the level that your coach or even you or your teammates want you to perform at, and that puts even more stress on you,” Gawrysiak said. “Athletes really do get into this vicious cycle where, when they don’t get enough sleep, even one time, it can impact them for three, four, five days down the road.” CCHS head baseball coach Adam Osborne, a math department teacher, feels that while academic workload can be a challenge, students are in control of their time management. “Homework could be an issue with our (athletes).
(consists) of right now,” Castañeda said. “There’s not really much to look forward to because that’s where I spend all my time.” Castañeda believes her demanding athletic schedule has a negative impact on her sleep schedule and academics. “My grades always drop during soccer. (The work) all builds up. There’s never really a time we can catch up on things because we’re constantly having to go to practices, and we’re constantly having to go to games,” Castañeda said. “Since I get home pretty late, it’s hard for me to put time aside to do homework or study just because I’m so tired. If I do stay up and do homework, it affects my focus in classes the next day.”
I think, though, if you really sat them down, maybe the social media and being plugged in and video games and making those choices has a contribution as well,” Osborne said. According to Osborne, with CCHS baseball players practicing two hours each day for seven days a week, it is important that coaches provide opportunities for athletes to focus on their school work, including morning study halls. “(The) majority of the time, if you have a conversation with the player, they’ve made some choices along the line that caused them to be in that situation where they had to miss practice (in order to complete schoolwork). They could have done something differently. They could’ve handled their busi-
Sports Staffer
36
A
s athletic seasons progress, Clarke Central High School student-athletes begin to fall into a familiar, yet strenuous routine with pressure from teachers and coaches to meet both academic and athletic expectations. These demanding schedules result in a variety of effects on academics, sleep and self-esteem. CCHS junior Sofia Castañeda has been on the girls varsity soccer team since her freshman year. The team practices for almost three hours every weekday, following a nearly hour-long study hall, adding nearly four hours onto her regular school day schedule. “Since I spend so much time playing (soccer), when I don’t do well in practice or when I don’t play in a game, it affects me because it’s all that my life By NATALIE RIPPS
odysseynewsmagazine.net
Sports