By Greg Collins, senior
As a student-athlete in college, I have dealt with long bus rides and weekend trips out of town. It is difficult to manage time while playing sports, and it’s even harder when you have to juggle your studies along with athletics.
It takes dedication and commitment. Finding ways to kill time while traveling can be handled many different ways. I found it hard to study or focus while being around a bunch of teammates. It’s easier to find yourself talking and playing around than it is to open a book.
I used my time to listen to music and interact with my teammates. Being on road trips helped me learn about others and opened my eyes to thoughts and opinions.
Athletes have to find ways to keep themselves entertained while traveling place to place as well as weekend trips out of town. Many different things can be used to pass the time. I had a chance to speak with other athletes from different sports to find out what they use.
Card games, music, movies, studying and conversing are the just a few things they do while spending hours on the road.
A large group of athletes use music as their source of entertainment. I found that listening to music helped me escape from the loud noises.
“I use my time to listen to music and relax,” said Terry Cobb, a junior football player.
After asking five athletes from different sports what their favorite music to listen to on road trips was, all five agreed that motivational and an up-tempo style of genre was their favorite.
In my case, I enjoyed relaxing and comforting music. I felt as if it created a different atmosphere for me, as if I were somewhere other than a bus confined to a small space.
Keeping up with school is a major factor with athletes. Even though I found it hard to manage my studies on the bus, I had to find a different route to stay on top. In most cases it led to early mornings or late nights.
Many athletes rely on the time they spent on the bus to get caught up with their class work. In most cases studying may be easier when you have nothing else to do. It seems like when you’re at home or elsewhere, something always seems better than studying
“It’s tough to do with a bunch of loud noises and a small space,” said Rylan Sankey, a sophomore baseball player. “But it’s got to get done somehow, and road trips provide the time.”
Traveling long distance in a confined space with a large group of teammates can be fun and a great way to bond. Even though teams spend a lot of time together at practice and at games, it is hard for them to communicate and relate to one another other than being a part of the same sport.
“I learned a lot about teammates that I never would have known if it wasn’t for traveling,” said Tim Wescott, a sophomore track and cross country runner.
While not listening to music, I spent a lot of my time enjoying the presence of my teammates. I interacted a lot with the younger players and tried to relate with them because at one time I had been in their shoes
Young student-athletes look up to upperclassmen for support and help. I felt that by using my time on the road to help provide a good path and help them see things clearly, it gave them more confidence and allowed for them to branch off and grow.
Collegiate athletes spend a lot of time on the road, and these are the sources athletes use to pass the time as they prepare themselves for an upcoming event.