Balancing school and sports has been an ongoing struggle for students. This year, WHBHS alumni Bryce Phillips and Devin Laube were put to the test by taking on the challenge of being a college athlete starting their freshmen year.

After speaking with both of them about their experiences thus far, I found they shared similarities and differences. Bryce Phillips, a freshman at Hamilton College in upstate NY, says that a typical practice is much more time consuming compared to a high school practice. “It’s hard because of how much time practice takes up and meetings and watching film. Practice is typically two, two and a half hours, plus lifting, meetings and film watching. So, overall it ends up being 4-5 hours a day in a season.”

Devin Laube, a freshman at Endicott College in Massachusetts, said that balancing work and sports isn’t challenging for him. He explains that the coaches are extremely helpful when it comes to finding the right balance. “It isn’t hard at all. The coaches help us out a lot by giving us study halls, and practice is always at night so it doesn’t interfere with our class schedules. Practice usually takes about two, two and half hours; we have lifting during the day but that only takes about 30 minutes.”

Bryce and Devin offered advice to graduating seniors who plan on playing sports in their freshmen year. Bryce shared, “Make sure you do your summer workouts so you show up in shape.” Devin takes a more mental approach to his answer. “Don’t be afraid of stepping on toes or being judged for going hard in practices by the older guys. The coaches will notice and it’ll give you more of a chance of getting your playing time in the season.”

Playing a sport in college has proven to be a tremendous commitment for them. They stress, however, to definitely make sure that as a senior ready to graduate that you are ready to tackle the challenge of being a student athlete for the next four.