What's it Like to be a Student-Athlete at NHS?

This week's submission is by Andrew Poterala. Andrew is a Senior at NHS. He is currently a member of the basketball team, and he played football. He also participates in the Chamber Choir, and is the Senior Class President.

Being a student-athlete at definitely teaches you a lot about life in general. In a school with over 2,000 students, it is an honor to just be able to call yourself a student-athlete.

The day-to-day life of a student-athlete is much tougher than most would believe. You have to learn to juggle lots of responsibilities and at the same time push yourself to be the best in school and on the court or field. 

The day begins with our 7:21 a.m. class start time, except when a before-school practice gets you started at 6 or even 5 a.m. As you go throughout your day, many students discuss your in-season sport with you. This could either be a good or a bad thing depending on how your season is going. It is great coming to school if you know you will hear praise from your teachers and peers throughout the day.  On the other hand, if your season is not going too well, you are sure to hear many different opinions on what you are doing wrong. You learn to take the good with the bad with a sense of humor while continuing to focus on your classes as your first priority. 

As the school day ends, your day as a student-athlete is really just beginning.  Usually, it starts with an hour session in the weight room, which is necessary to get a full-body workout. Then it is time to head home and work on your homework.  Before you head back up to the high school for your team’s practice, you must also find time to eat, and complete any of your chores or other responsibilities you have at home. Finally, it is time to head to practice where a couple hours of hard work is guaranteed and accepted without question due to your teammates’ and your ultimate goal to be the best. 

When practice ends it is time for you to head home for the night. Once every couple of weeks you may have another activity such as a choir concert or a club meeting to manage with your other responsibilities. Once you have eaten again, showered, and punched out the last bit of homework, it is often quite late.  At this point your head hits the pillow, and you need to get your rest to start all over again in the morning. 

If you want to be a successful student-athlete at Northville High School, you need to manage your time well, be organized, and work hard at everything you do, each day.  There is no down time!