Avery Boulware, Campus Carrier Sports Editor
Athletes are among some of the busiest students at Berry, with games or practices every day, sometimes traveling all weekend or missing classes for matches. Many sports are year-round commitments, with coaches holding mandatory team workouts during the off season. All athletes have a full schedule, but the few athletes that are involved in two sports work harder than most.
There are 17 men and 15 women this year who currently play two sports or have at some point during their time at Berry. The majority of these athletes, 12 men and 12 women, run on both cross country and track and field teams. Paul Deaton, head cross country coach, and Luke Syverson, head track and field coach, are both assistant coaches for each other’s teams. The transition for these athletes is a bit more seamless because of this, and athletes are encouraged to be a part of both teams as a way to train year-round.
Cross-training for athletes in other sports is sometimes more challenging to coordinate. Even though athletes are involved in one fall sport and one spring sport, most teams train together during the off-season, and two-sport athletes often miss team workouts and scrimmages.
Freshman Daniel Poland, a member of both the football and lacrosse teams, said he has had to miss many off-season events for both sports.
“I didn’t get to play fall lacrosse and be a part of their Halloween game or work out as a team,” Poland said. “With football I’m missing going to [other sporting events as a team], workouts and lots of meetings.”
Not only do two-sport athletes have to balance two team schedules, but a full class load as well. Some athletes, like junior Hunter White, choose to drop a sport after a season or two. White played football and baseball in high school and signed for both upon acceptance to Berry. He played both football and baseball his freshman and sophomore years, but decided to drop football before the 2015 season.
“School caught up with me,” White said. “I didn’t have a lot of time, especially with baseball being so big here. My GPA went straight down. I never had any time to get ahead, even on weekends. It was tough.”
White is grateful, however, to have been a part of the first football team at Berry.
“I love football, and I loved playing it,” White said. “I met a good group of guys. But on the academic side I wish I hadn’t [played]. I’m kind of playing catch-up with my GPA.”
Being a two-sport athlete causes most students to pay more attention to their grades, whether that means quitting a team or managing time with extreme precision.
“It has been hard to juggle academics and athletics,” sophomore Jenn Leahy, who plays both soccer and lacrosse, said. “I have to really make sure I use every second of free time to do homework. After practice I take a quick shower, eat dinner and study again.”
Berry’s athletic program also requires all athletes to attend mandatory study hall sessions several nights per week, which helps many athletes to better focus on homework than if they were simply working on their own time.
Junior Maggie Midkiff, who plays soccer and tennis, credits athletics for teaching her how to manage a busy schedule.
“I’ve juggled school and sports my whole life, so it is basically the norm for me now,” Midkiff said. “It just really makes you have to have good time management. You have such little time to waste, so you put time to good use.”
Midkiff came to Berry only planning on playing soccer, but decided to play tennis during her sophomore year. This year, after a knee injury during soccer season, she holds a manager position on the tennis team.
Poland also emphasized the importance of supportive coaches for two-sport athletes. “[Playing two sports is] a lot more discipline. But my coaches are understanding, they’ll let me leave practice early if I need to go to a study session,” he said. “The coaches put academics first, too.”