The life of a student athlete

The life of a student athlete may seem glamorous to someone on the outside looking in, but the word student always comes first.  

When thinking of  a collegiate athlete do you think of an easy and perfect lifestyle? Maybe you  think things are given to them, or they receive special privileges? Felix Daniels is a student at St. Clair College who assumes some student athletes do not know the true meaning of hard work.

“Do you honestly think people like Rj Barret, former Duke University Star basketball player, did homework or went to class consistently if at all,” said Daniels. “There is no way he was actually taking school seriously because if I knew I was going to the NBA after one year of University I would not take school seriously either.”

But people do not see the hard work and dedication athletes put in when they are off the field. They do more than just play sports; they are students, employees and human beings. St. Clair College soccer player Natalie Turner and Detroit Public Schools teacher Dematrice Davis can attest to that.

Turner is enrolled in the Paramedic program which is demanding. Not only is she taking one of the most challenging programs at the college, she also plays on the women’s soccer team and has a job, yet still maintains good marks in her classes and excels on the field. After going into week seven of the semester, 10 to 15 people have already dropped out.  

“My classmates think I am absolutely insane. They always ask me how do I manage to have a life outside of this program,” said Turner. “Honestly I actually need both soccer and my job to help with my financial situation because I am paying for school all on my own and being a paramedic is a goal of mine so I really try to do whatever it takes.”

Imagine awakening to the sound of an alarm at 4:45 a.m. to study for anatomy and physiology before attending your 8 a.m. patient care procedures class. After a four hour class, you have an hour break to drive to work for your shift from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.. After work is complete you now have soccer practice from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Are you tired yet? Once soccer is over you get to go home, eat, shower and… complete your homework assignments and fit in some more studying before you finally set your alarm to sleep, wake up and repeat your day all over again.

“Soccer really keeps me sane because it gives me the time to socialize and hangout with my friends,” said Turner. “It gives me the break that I need from my busy school schedule.”

Demeatrice Davis has been an educator for 24 years and made many connections with different students and teachers.

“From what I have seen in my time of being a teacher there are teachers that love student athletes, there are teachers that dislike student athletes and there are teachers that treat student athletes equally to a student that does not participate in sports,” said Davis. “There is no right or wrong answer.”