on being a student athlete

I wanted to first take a moment to honor the teachers that we recognized this past week at our Littleton game. And thanks to our seniors for insisting, in a season with so few home games at EHS, on having a teacher appreciation ceremony.  Special thanks to Mia, who helped to organize the event!

Your teachers were genuinely appreciative of this effort on your parts. I had virtually all of them stop by to tell me how much they appreciate these little gestures - that it makes their jobs more worthwhile to know they are connecting with their students and having an impact on your studies and lives.

I also wanted to use this week to talk about being a STUDENT athlete. On that note, I begin by thanking the girls in this program for their lengthy (many years???) streak of not having any missed games due to a failing grade. There are many programs for which eligibility is a constant concern, so I appreciate that our students take their academics and grades seriously. Knowing our athletes will be eligible to play every game makes our job of preparing for the next game a lot easier.

I have heard more than once from kids (or their parents) that they are unsure if they can balance both athletic and academics aspects of student life. Both data and personal experience, however, bear out that playing a sport generally helps ones' academics. Personally, whether in HS or college, I was more focused, healthier, and would work harder on my studies in season than out of season. And I always got my best GPA during my main season. Athletics provided structure to my day, and usually, that structure meant more studying and less procrastinating.

We have 5 or so weeks left in the school year. We will be playing a lot of soccer and spending a lot of time together. Finish your academic year strong as well - its another way to thank those teachers of yours!

Coach