By Emily Messina, Swimming World College Intern
Student-athletes have a lot on their plates as is. Now throw in big mid-season meets and finals week and the schedule is packed. As someone who cares a lot about both athletic and academic performances, this is a stressful time. The NCAA puts a big emphasis on the educational portion of being a student-athlete. During finals week, our practices are optional and there will be no coach present on deck. However, the practices are highly advertised and encouraged. It is important to keep up practice attendance not only because it is such a vital time in the season, but also because it is helpful in garnering the least stressful and most effective results. Here are several reasons why one should attend practice as usual during finals week.
1. It clears your head.
Photo Courtesy: Maddy Amann
Allow your mind time to relax and take a break from all of the mental effort. Distancing yourself from the material can allow you to have a fresh and stronger attitude later on. Your mind needs to rest and time to think about other things or nothing at all. Get away from the library, the books, and the stressful feeling for some time. You will feel refreshed and more productive if you give your brain a break.
2. It gives you an outlet.
Let’s be honest – you just aren’t studying non-stop 24/7. Having an alternative environment can allow you to completely step back from all of the busy things in life. Swimming can be a nice distraction. And, there is nothing like throwing yourself into a physically exhausting set to forget about your ever-growing to do list. You can vent to your friends about your huge workload or get some sound advice about how to handle things from your coach. You can entirely remove yourself from academic pressures, for at least a little while.
3. It can help you sleep better. (When you actually have the time to!)
Photo Courtesy: Mark Solace
While finals week probably puts you in a sleep deficit from all of the work you have to do, the sleep you do get will be some quality stuff. The exercising can make you more tired, but let’s be honest as an athlete you often have this feeling. The exhaustion can help you get to sleep faster and fall into a deeper state that is essential for you to recharge and to prepare your brain for hours of studying and testing.
4. It is important to follow a routine.
Practicing is already a part of your daily schedule, so why not keep it that way? By sticking with your everyday routine there is less of a chance that the crushing feelings of finals week overwhelms you. Following a specific agenda can also help foster your time management skills and cultivate organization.
5. Because you should.
Photo Courtesy: Taylor Brien
You signed up for the team. You made a commitment to your coach, your teammates, and yourself. It is essential that you honor this as best as you can. You probably have spent your whole life learning to balance school and swimming. These practices set you up nicely for tough winter training and you don’t want to lose everything you have worked for. Do you best to make it work, even in this stressful time.
The end of the semester can be a tough time because of the large workload, hard practices, and mid-season meets. It can be hard to balance all of these things and still retain your sanity. Although practices are optional and your coach won’t be there, it is vital to tap into your self-motivation. Try your hardest to stay tough in the pool because it is important to not slack on your training and to be there for your teammates. While it can start to feel overwhelming remember all of the positives that come from the sport. It can help you to stay on task, be efficient, and be relaxed even in the most difficult and demanding times.
All commentaries are the opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Swimming World Magazine nor its staff.