{"id":263,"date":"2013-09-24T03:28:38","date_gmt":"2013-09-24T03:28:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.coachingafemaleathlete.com\/?p=263"},"modified":"2014-07-09T18:28:48","modified_gmt":"2014-07-09T18:28:48","slug":"how-to-manage-academics-and-athletics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.coachingafemaleathlete.com\/?p=263","title":{"rendered":"How to Manage Academics and Athletics"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I have heard countless stories and excuses among student-athletes for their inability to maintain good grades because of their commitment to their sport<\/a>\"\".\u00a0 To me, it\u2019s a cop-out.\u00a0 It\u2019s reason for a student<\/a>\"\"\u00a0to be lazy, to under-achieve, and to go through the motions.\u00a0 Furthermore, I see more and more parents supporting their athletes in the belief that they simply cannot juggle it all.\u00a0 Let me tell you, you are only hindering your child\u2019s abilities to be independently successful on the field and in the classroom.\u00a0It is unexpected to believe that a child, let alone a teenager, will have the capacity to put themselves on a schedule, stay organized, eat properly, maintain good grades, and stay in the starting line-up.\u00a0 In addition to all of this, your athlete is a female; so let\u2019s factor in the need for social media, friends, school dances, and boys. \u00a0\u00a0They need your help, and they need your support.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 If your daughter is looking to achieve their sport at the highest level, specifically a collegiate scholarship, they need structure to prepare themselves for an independent world.\u00a0 Collegiate academics and athletics are unforgiving.\u00a0 A professor won\u2019t care that you just got off of a 3 hour flight from your double-header to excuse you from the midterm and a coach won\u2019t care that you need to study for your test to let you skip practice.\u00a0 Your child will be thrown into this world at a rapid pace and<\/a>\"\"\u00a0unless they have
\nstructure and learn to balance all of their activities, they will drown in what was once a dream come true.<\/p>\n

Although<\/a>\"\"\u00a0your child will not want to always follow a structured schedule, they will thank you later in their collegiate years as they will be able to soundly play the sport they love with the ability to be a high-achieving students<\/a>\"\"\u00a0in the classroom.\u00a0 So how do you go about implementing this schedule?\u00a0 You write it out and stick to is as strictly as possible.\u00a0 Have your female athlete<\/a>\"\", NOT YOU, write out their full schedule for a typical week, including times, you will be able to see how her time can be managed more efficiently.\u00a0 For example:<\/p>\n

Monday: 8:00-3:00pm School<\/p>\n

6:00-8:00pm Practice<\/p>\n

10-11pm Bed<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Once the whole schedule is written out, you will notice that there are huge gaps of time that can be organized in a different manner<\/a>\"\".\u00a0\u00a0If all the athlete does on Monday\u2019s is school and practice, her homework should be done before practice begins, along with a meal, then practice, then any unfinished work with relaxation time<\/a>\"\"\u00a0after practice.\u00a0 Once her whole week is planned out, both of you will see how much time she really has on her hands, leaving no room for excuses to be able \u201cto do it all\u201d.\u00a0 She will be excuse-free and you will no longer have to fight over why she couldn\u2019t study for her test or why she had to cancel lessons. \u201cToo much homework\u201d, or \u201cpractice went too long\u201d will no longer be an issue<\/a>\"\".<\/p>\n

Please note, they probably won\u2019t initially like being put on a schedule, or enjoy being given expectations as to maintaining high academics with their athletic endeavors.\u00a0 It isn\u2019t impossible and it truly makes for a better student-athlete in the collegiate world where you can\u2019t bail them out by calling their coach or their teacher.\u00a0 It is a great tool for them to stay organized, achieve excellent scores in the classroom, work hard at their respected sport, and do so with confidence to attain both academic and athletic<\/a>\"\"
\naccolades without the stress of crunching time.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

KEY FACTS:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n