The Challenges of a Student Athlete

College is perhaps the most difficult time of a person’s life. Whether it’s trying to take an exam, working on a difficult project, or just trying to become an adult, college can really be life changing for many people.

One of the fun parts about going to college is going to sporting events. One could only imagine how challenging life of a student athlete can be.

Mark Branch is the head wrestling coach at the University of Wyoming and he said that the fact that these people are going to school alone is a reason why student-athlete life is hard.

“Committing time to their sport, the way they may feel like they may have to be the best at it, they’re probably taking away from maybe their academic…maybe their social life or whatever,” Branch said.

The days that a college student goes through often involve long ones. This can involve early morning workouts and going to class. This can involve a student going to the training table to eat a lunch or going to the tutoring center.

Guy Harnaski is a track and field athlete at the University of Wyoming who knows all too well about the time and effort it takes to be successful in college athletics.

Harnaski is a senior at the college who participates in hammer throwing and is majoring in history.

Harnaski knows that he has a support system and has certain people that he looks up to.

“I look up to god a lot because I know he has special things planned for me,” Harnaski said.

Anthony Johnson is a community member of Laramie, and he thinks that developing a relationship with those you love is the most important part of being a student athlete.

“Have a relationship with Jesus Christ,” Johnson said. “No matter what, you accept Jesus and as you go on, he’s going to be with you forever.”

The lives of student-athletes involve exhausting days. They require a lot of work and dedication to both sports and academics. This plays a role in other important aspects of life such as social life.

Students should feel proud about the amount of work in both academics and school.

This is because student athletes spend so much of their day studying and participating in sports.

Mark Branch also thinks that it is important for people to not get behind in school since everything catches on when you get behind.

“You can’t miss workouts, you can’t miss class, you can’t put off homework assignments or studying,” Branch said. “You got to keep all that stuff up to date.” Branch said.

Jeff Robinson is a life-long fan of Wyoming athletics who said that Laramie has contributed a lot to the state.

“Without the University, Laramie would practically be a ghost town. The university is everything to Laramie,” Robinson said.

Randall Grizzle is a father of Sierra, who is a volleyball player at the University.

Grizzle thinks that it is important to have a good mindset for both school and academics. The more of a good attitude a person has, the more success a person will have in life.

“It’s all about mindset. And so whether that’s mindset of how we prepare for sports. Like when we’re working hard and being in the gym, and working hard at being consistent,”

Randall Grizzle will also have another student attending the University of Wyoming on the football team. He also thinks it is important to control what we are capable of doing

“The main things to think about or focus on were what we are in control of and we are in control of our attitude and we are in control of our effort,” Grizzle said.

There are plenty of lessons that one can learn while being a student life. Anthony Johnson said to not give up once things might look bleak.

“When you lose, the world is not over. It teaches you a lot of things man, about life,” Johnson said.

There are plenty of resources available on the campus of the University of Wyoming for student athletes to be successful whether it is related to physical health, mental health, or academic success.

Some of these include the academic support center and the UW counseling center for mental health on campus.

For more information you can visit the University of Wyoming website to learn more about resources on student athletes.

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