Winter sports are in full swing as school work begins to increase.  Student athletes have to find a balance between school work, practices and games.

Freshman Ashlyn Smith, who plays basketball, has a game or practice six days a week.

“It can be a little difficult to study for tests or do my homework after getting home late after a game or practice,” Smith said.

Sophomore soccer player Kira Anzalone agrees balancing a sport at school can be tough.

“Playing a sport at school makes it harder for me to find time to do homework and study, so a lot of the time I find myself up till late hours in order to get things done,” Anzalone said.

Anzalone has two to three games per week plus practices in between.

“At times, it is definitely very hard to balance school and soccer because I usually don’t get home from soccer practice until 5:30,” she said. “When I have games, I get home around 7:30, but I will do anything to keep playing the sport I love.” 

Winter sports can be especially challenging because they are interrupted by semester exams and Winter Break.

“Being on a sports team is worth all the extra effort because I love the sport I play,” Anzalone said. “When you really love something the way I do soccer, you wouldn’t give it up for the world no matter how hard it is to balance everything on your plate.” 

By Olivia Blackwell