However, the ice rink in Milford is alive with Staples hockey players practicing for their next game. From school, most Varsity boys go straight there and don’t get home until at least seven at night.
Jesse Burns ’14 says that because of these tough practices and games during the week, it’s difficult to find time and energy to study. After a long day, he doesn’t begin his work until eight o’clock and by then he’s “deadbeat tired and sore it’s hard not to fall asleep.”
The girls’ hockey team has a similar situation. The practices and games are in Shelton, a half hour commute each way. “Several girls have complained of the toll it is taking on their grades, and the time commitment has been the reason for a couple of lost recruits,” Charlotte Axthelm ’12 said, who is the captain of the Varsity team.
These struggles seem to be a common problem for winter athletes. Midterms are an especially difficult time, and time for studying is scarce.
Olivia Kapell ’14 stopped playing hockey this year because of the time issues. “I’m sure this is the case with every winter sport, but it’s hard to explain to your math teacher, ‘Oh sorry, I can’t study. I have a game,’” she said. Kapell says there’s always the option to do work on the bus, but explains that it’s tricky to concentrate.
For the Varsity boys’ basketball team, the practices are cut short during midterms week so the players can have time to study. But the long games “eat up a much bigger chunk of your time,” said Peter Rankowitz ’13.
The commitment to sports and the commitment to school are in a constant battle around the time of exams. On the other hand though, a common positive outcome is the improvement of time management.
Allison April ’13, who plays on both the Junior Varsity and Varsity girls’ basketball teams, says that knowing the times of games in advance helps to plan for schoolwork. She admits that basketball “does limit my study time a little,” but definitely “helps with time management.”
Axthelm agrees, and says that most necessary priority juggling is “doable.” She says that since many girls have been on the team several years, they’ve been able to “work on their time management skills” and figure it out.
Even though it is demanding to cope with both studying and sports, most players believe it to be well worth it, and Staples athletes have adjusted well to their complicated schedules. Fortunately, this plays a big role in making sure that winter athletes’ midterms are no more stressful than any other student’s.
