By Aliya Janeo

Thumbnail by Victoria Dennise Go

One Big Fight!

—Against your packed schedule. Being a student-athlete takes a lot of work and commitment, especially when you’re studying and training more than getting some rest. The pressure of having to excel academically, combined with representing the school in sporting events, is a weight student-athletes have to carry, and this was particularly amplified before, during, and after the Jesuit Athletic Meet (JAM) that took place last September. 

Win or Lose, It’s the Stress We Choose

Hosted by Xavier School Nuvali, JAM started on September 19 and ended on September 23. It was an event for Jesuit schools to compete with each other in the form of different athletic events. Still, it built camaraderie and gave a sense of community. It was also a chance for teams to strengthen their relationships with one another. As expressed by a member of the Ateneo Senior High School (ASHS) Girls Volleyball Team: “It was a very eye-opening experience. Considering that JAM is the first league we joined as a team, I was able to learn more about my teammates as well as our fellow Ateneo schools.”

On the surface, JAM may seem like nothing but an event that one attends to collect wins and achievements, when in reality, it is an opportunity for athletes to bond with not just their teammates but also with players from other schools who share similar experiences with them. In that case, it’s safe to say that everyone always comes home as winners. There may be gold that comes in medals and trophies, but as corny as it is, the real gold comes in the adventure you go through and the people you meet along the way. 

Yet, the swift transition from a week of excitement to an onslaught of tasks would have any JAM attendee missing Nuvali. It’s all fun and games until you return to a week’s worth of missed lessons alongside new topics. While everyone else is being handed back their quiz results, you’re sitting in the library awaiting a make-up test schedule. Being absent for a day could set you back one whole lesson, what more if you’ve been absent for a week—let alone if you’ve been gone for two? 

This extended absence goes for the UAAP Junior Basketball team, who played in Taiwan preceding JAM. In the words of one of the team’s players: “It was very hectic—very, very hectic. The fact that I didn’t just miss one week because of JAM, I missed two weeks as well because I came from Taiwan. It was very hectic to come back and to catch up with the things that I need to do that I missed and then do the things that I need to do at the moment.”

They also emphasized the repeated cycle of sleepless nights they spent studying, only to wake up a few hours later to train. Every relationship comes with commitment: as mentioned prior, student-athletes are no strangers to this. Their commitment comes in the form of training to the best of their abilities while keeping up with the rest of their classmates. No matter how many quizzes, long tests, group works, or major assessments to accomplish, these students will find a way to get it done. Moreover, even if they’re not the most active group mates at their busiest, they try to make compromises and contribute as much as possible. After all, they’re human, just like any of us, and we’re all trying our best to get through every day.

Balancing the ‘student’ and ‘athlete’ in student-athlete

The brawn must come with brains, and ‘athlete’ is just half of ‘student-athlete.’ The ‘student’ part comes from maintaining decent grades and keeping up with your classmates. A poor academic performance could affect the student’s ‘athlete’ aspect, as one can’t be more prioritized over the other. Whether studying right after training late at night or in study groups with friends during their free time, our student-athletes do what they can to work around their long to-do lists. 

According to a member of the Lawn Tennis team on how they balance their academics and varsity duties: “Of course, people will just say ‘time management,’ but not only that, I just try to surround myself with people that could help me and could understand where I’m coming from. So sometimes I do study groups with my friends who are also varsity or with people in class who don’t do much sports but are updated with everything and know what to do.”

Student-athletes find common ground in having to navigate through busier weeks than most. They cope by seeking comfort in one another. Improving one’s time management skills is easier said than done, and saying how hard it is to master is an understatement. We shouldn’t leave anyone behind, especially our athletes, who need just that bit of slack. 

In the end, friendship is key. Athlete or not, everyone should be backed up by a strong support system. The ASHS’ blessings for student-athletes come in the form of supporting family members, friends and classmates willing to collaborate and teachers compromising with later deadlines. A few days’ extension for tasks is enough to brighten up any student-athlete’s day. 

Then again, there is still room for improvement. When coming back from several days’ absence for something like JAM and cooling down from a competition mindset, it’s a no-brainer that student-athletes won’t be on the same wavelength as everyone else. While everyone is discussing an entirely new lesson, our athletes are still picking up on what they missed and learning alongside their advanced classmates at the same time. 

For that reason, the same Lawn Tennis player suggests athlete-catered study halls. Although the ASHS provides study halls for all students, our athletes need the time to catch up on previous lessons rather than have an extended discussion on what everyone else is currently learning. Study halls for athletes would allow athletes to learn as a class so they don’t feel too left behind with their other classmates, and can review for any upcoming make-up tests without sacrificing more sleep at home. 

Student-athletes aren’t special. That’s said in the sense that they’re just like everyone else. They’re not superhuman or extraordinary; they’re people with immense passion and talent. They’re dedicated to their sports and are willing to go for the gold in anything that they do. With that, they’re also driven in their academics, ensuring they’re not a lap or a point behind everyone else. Every great athlete knows how to recover from a time or points deficit and not back down until the match ends. 

The phrase ‘the ball is round’ means anything can happen in a game. Nothing is entirely predictable, but if the game is bouncing back and catching up with the rest of the pack, then the ball is in our student-athletes’ court. It’s a game that requires heart and hard work. It asks for tough skin and the ability to get up after every fall and loss. This is a game where they won’t be outdone or outplayed, the odds will forever be in their favor, and they’ll always bag first place.