Author: finleyaldred422

The difficult balance between being a “student” and “athlete”

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by Finley Aldred
Mills Creek High School

Photo by August Phlieger

Throughout high school each student goes through a balance of classes and extra curricular activities. With students, many reasons can be attributed to the increase of stress levels. The classes students choose whether its honors, Advanced Placement or AP and college prep. There are numerous clubs students can join according to their interests. To add on all of these factors sports are a major part of becoming involved in school. 

Student athletes have an additional responsibility to balance their academics as well as their athletic schedule.

“Almost everyday is a struggle to keep up with homework when you have six classes that all require study time and some even have homework. To add practice it’s crazy but swim meet nights are even worse because we have to leave for the pool at 4 p.m. and won’t get back until 11 p.m. so there isn’t much room for study time,” Madison Eck said.

For students it can be difficult finding time in their schedule to attend school, work in class on assignments and find a time to do their homework after practice. With most of the time available to do homework late at night after practice, it begins to impact athletes’ sleep schedules. The less sleep an athlete gets can cause an increase of stress, anxiety, depression and a decrease in athletic performance. 

“The AP classes I chose to take had a decent amount of workload, some days more than others of course. I knew sometimes it would be hard to balance school and track, but I also knew I had good time management skills so it wasn’t that difficult most of the time,” Ky’arra Whyte said.

There is also an added pressure on the athletes to be the best at their sport in order to get offers, scholarships and recruitment attention. The changing culture of athleticism has become increasingly competitive which puts an added stress on the athlete to strive to be the best. 

“I think the environment is different because there are a lot of new rules that are making it more difficult for high school athletes to get recruited. You will have some athletes who are focused more on athletics rather than academics so maybe they don’t see it as more stressful, but those students who are in high level programs could be adding more stress to the athletes,” Karmen Morrison said.

The issue of competitiveness between JV teams and Varsity also can become a concern.

“When I was trying out for soccer at my school, JV wasn’t given the same amount of fair treatment as Varsity. Even though I did have so much fun on the JV team, it could just get annoying at times. The coaches never said it deliberately but varsity will always be favored, especially if they think the players have a greater chance of going farther in their career,” Camryn Williams said.

With all the pressure added to athletes to perform and maintain a balanced schedule it can be difficult to overlook your mental well being while handling all the stress. It is recommended ever so often to take time and practice self care to make sure that the athlete is replenished and in better health to maintain a good performance. 

On the Other Hand

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By: Finley Aldred

Have you ever been bothered by the right-handed desks at school? Annoyed at all the writing smudged on your hand? Had trouble using certain equipment like scissors, or can openers? Have you ever been drinking out of a mug and not able to see the design on the front while drinking? Gotten weird looks when you tell people what hand you write with? 

These are daily inconveniences that left-handed people such as myself run into while trying to navigate life on the outs.

Only 10% of the world is left-handed which shows that many people do not know what it is like to have challenges doing normal tasks that are much more difficult doing left-handed. But as a “lefty” myself I find myself being inconvenienced at school and items in my household not being accommodated for left-handed usage. 

As a kid, I never thought anything of it because my mom was also left handed. You never pay attention to it mainly because all you use your hands for is picking up toys and food. However, once I got into the public school district I began to see the issue of society catering to right- handed people. 

All throughout my years there has always been the struggles of desks. Most desks at my school have the chair attached to them by an armrest. That armrest just happens to be on the right-handed side. I find this inconvenient because while the rest of the class has no problem comfortably writing I have to be uncomfortable writing, smudging my paper without an arm rest. 

Spiral notebooks are also inconvenient because they are designed for right-handed use. They are often painful because as we write our hands are digging into the metal spiral. In the 20th century the invention of special notebooks for left-handed people were created. However because the consumer population of left-handed people is so low, they are not as commonly available and known to the public.

Another issue is the social aspect of being left-handed. Since it is so rare people are often always surprised and you can be looked at differently because of it. A few of my friends find me unusual or strange for how I manage living left-handed, but trust me it’s not easy or cool. In some cultures it can be seen as having a negative connotation. It can be seen that parents force their kids to write with their right hand because it is seen as more socially acceptable.

Even now I always get surprised when I meet another left-handed person because it is so uncommon. It is nice to be able to have a conversation with someone who is like me and experiences all of the same inconveniences in our day-to-day life. 

Being left-handed has given me plenty of frustrations and inconveniences in my life, but I feel like it has also made up a part of who I am as an individual. It makes me feel unique and it is always a conversation starter.

To all the left-handed people, just know you are not alone in the annoyance of daily life. There is a community of people who share the same experiences as us.

Karmen Morrison: Two Sides of the Court

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By: Finley Aldred

Growing up in Jacksonville, Florida, Karmen Morrison participated in numerous sports at Riverside High School. Morrison played basketball, volleyball and flag football. This provided many opportunities to gain recognition for her athletic abilities. She was awarded Female Athlete of the Year in her hometown of Florida. This provided an insight into a possible future for her.

“I had to do a lot of interviews and I had fun doing it,” Morrison said. “Obviously, I was the interviewee, but I enjoyed it. There were a couple of radio station interviews and I realized I think I can do this. That’s where I got my start.”

Before she attended UGA, Morrison studied at FSU and got her bachelor’s degree in communication and media studies. It allowed her to gain experience in multimedia journalism.

“I did a story about women in coaching that I think I did a good job of when I did my undergrad at Florida State. I got to talk about Lonni Alameda, she’s their head softball coach, a very renowned women’s softball coach. This was following the year they had a very late game, which ended at 2 a.m., so I was like, “Let me see if she will talk about it.”

“So I asked her opinion on playing late, and she was very blunt and honest about it, probably one of my favorite interviews. She spoke about a lot of issues in women’s sports, such as the College World Series.”

Morrison prides herself on being a women’s sports enthusiast. She tries to include her opinions and support on social media and in her stories.

“It’s all about equality. For example, tennis is the only sport where men’s and women’s professional sports get paid equally.”

One of her motives for her career is to be an inspiration for younger generations and to be a role model for people who have the same dream.

“You have to be able to reach back and show little girls and boys to uplift them and show them that everything is possible. Really, it’s about representation.”

Finley Aldred

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By: Finley Aldred

I am Finley Aldred. I live in Gwinnett County, Georgia. I am 17 years old, and I attend Mill Creek High School. At school, I stay involved by participating in yearbook. As the upcoming head editor, I am eager to step into a leadership role where I can express my creativity and love for writing. Through this class, I have been able to open my eyes to what I want for the rest of my future. I hope to attend the University of Georgia and major in journalism to become a sports journalist. The past three years in yearbook have changed my perception of the world and overall given me useful life skills for when I venture off into the world after high school.

One of my favorite things to do is being a mentor to people anywhere I go. I love helping people and being a leader to look up to. I joined a club at my school called Ilead, where I had the opportunity every Wednesday during my homeroom period to go to a freshman homeroom and provide them with information that is helpful in their first year of high school. I really enjoyed getting to build relationships with them and my fellow mentors during my first year in the club.

I am also a student athletic trainer for Mill Creek’s football team. Last school year, it was my first season with the team, and I made so many new memories and friendships with the other trainers; it truly changed my life. While attending all the practices, JV, 9th Grade and Varsity games, it is definitely a commitment, but it is worth the time spent. I love the routine of walking down to the field house straight after school and seeing my friends. It’s nice to be able to sit outside and do my homework while being surrounded by another one of my pleasures: Football.

Throughout my life, I have always been surrounded by football, whether it was my dad and brother watching on TV, attending my brother’s rec games or being a trainer myself. I feel like it brings people together in an exciting game to watch. My favorite teams are the Georgia Bulldogs and the Kansas City Chiefs. I have always felt a connection to the Chiefs because my grandparents had a lake house in Missouri. Every summer since birth up until 3rd grade, we would fly to the lake. I get so much nostalgia when I think of Missouri, and I try to show my love for the state with my team spirit.

When I’m not at school, I like to spend my free time reading. All my life, I have enjoyed reading at any moment. I love reading fantasy, thrillers and romance books. Anywhere I go, I always take a book with me and my Kindle. I also like to express my creativity through journaling. I purchased a bullet journal, and recently I have been journaling nonstop. I like making collages of memories, purchases and random items.

My church is a big part of my life and a place where I spend most of my time. My youth group is a second home away from home. Every Sunday morning and Wednesday night, we spend time with each other and grow closer as we learn more about God. Through my church, I have made friends that I will keep with me for a lifetime.

I love spending time with my family. I have one brother named Banks and a cat named Nugett. My family and I like to play board games and cards. I love getting to spend time with them and being able to learn new and old information about their pasts before my brother and I. After getting my driver’s licence, I have gotten closer to my brother by driving him around places. It makes me feel like the cooler older sister that I have always wanted to be for him.

Overall, I love getting to spend time with my loved ones, as well as a balance between my own personal time getting to enjoy my own hobbies.