It is currently 11:45 PM and I drank so much stinkin' tea that my eyes feel like they are glued open. Naturally I am utilizing this free time to update and creep on any and every social networking site that I am a part of.
I was thinking about blogging, and wondering if there was a good one out there about an athlete just living out their life trying to stay healthy and blah blah blah. I came across some random boring as hell blogger who happened to write one tidbit of interesting info. It was six things that High School Athlete parents should know. About recruiting and scholarships and all that jazz. Considering that my first few posts are 75.23% lists, I feel the need to write another one.
A list of things athletes should know that they DO NOT tell you on recruiting trips!
Here we go.
First one:
If you think you can have friends outside of your team then you are sadddddly mistaken. Some people can do it! They can maintain relationships outside of the circle of bondage that is a college team. I believe that is extremely difficult. Let us add this up.
The NCAA allows 20 hours per week for the team. That leaves 148 hours in a week to yourself. Hopefully you try to get AT LEAST six hours of sleep each night which takes away 36 hours from your week. Minus the twelve hours you will be in class. Just hypothetically you take an hour to eat at each meal that leaves 79 hours to yourself. Subtract an hour a day you take to be a woman...shower, rinse, condition, shave your legs, wash your face, and brush your teeth. (Assuming that most women do that everyday).
Someone said something about doing homework in college, so if you take the time to do that you are at about 65 hours. GOOD GRIEF this is adding up! I am definitely a napper so I take about three hours out of the week for me to be flat on my face drooling on my pillow. We are at 62 hours and still subtracting people. Say that you spend about an hour with friends a day, that brings us down to 55. SHEESH that is a low number.
Please don't argue that you spend at least two hours a day on Facebook, dragging us down to 41 friggin' hours.
According to my calculations as a student athlete you have less than 48 hours to shoot the shit with your besties. Now if you actually studied the recommended amout that number would only be 33. Not to mention the extra time you burn to stay after practice and take extra reps. Or the physical therapy you may have to drag your ass to if you really go all out in practice everyday. Sometimes you get lucky and have a friend from high school in your class you'd like to study with. Which is nice, but when the semester is over better get a goodbye hug!
Hate to break it to ya sister, but take a good look around the locker room, when everyone is dressed of course!! Because if it isn't a holiday break you won't see anyone other than those girlies right there. Better break it to your mom easy...
Second one:
Unless you are willing to give up every kind of social interaction on the planet, then you better brace yourself for a 3.0 or below. There ARE those people that can sit in class half asleep and seem to absorb the information through their skin, and ace the tests without blinking an eye. But for the rest of us dumb asses that actually need to go over the material, we my friend are screwed. Hmmmmm, get so trashed you don't remember your name with the baseball team or stay in and study with your cat? Decisions decisions!
Third one:
Has anyone told you life is hard? Yeah well they should say that life is hard and then college athletics is harder. Just thinking about conditioning days just makes your stomach turn over and your eyes well up in tears. Keep in mind that when those coaches are buying you dinner, they are also wondering if you have what it takes to pass their run test when you come back from breaks. They run you until you are blind, make you lift weights until your hamstrings are so tight they could snap at any second, and then tell you its time for practice! All that might be a bit of an exaggeration but it's pretty spot on about how I feel most of the time.
I wasn't a napper until I got here. Now I lay down and take a snooze every thirty minutes I get the chance. Please believe that the Walgreens attendent probably thinks I am stocking up on Ibuprofen for a mass suicide or something. Although, if they make us do ten half gasers again then that just might be the case.
Fourth one:
This is something that is DEFINITELY not discussed in the contract.
Playing time.
You're not in Kansas anymore honey. Now you are in the big leagues and everyone is just as big as you are. Now if comes down to who stays at practice longer and whoever produces the most. It depends from coach to coach but it is a difficult thing to watch someone play your position and not know why they chose them instead of you.
OH and DO NOT ask how can you get more playing time. That is selfish. Ask what can you do to be a better player. It doesn't make you sound as much like an ass hole. This is something that I learned the hard way. I know the drill now that I am a junior, but freshman year that was a HARRRRD pill to swallow.
Fifth one:
If you are low on money. Don't even consider a job. We calculated the free time in a week. You know it's not possible so just forget it. Mommy and daddy are your source of cash now. So good luck with that!
So that's that. The ins and outs of being a college athlete.
After proofreading that, I feel a little depressed. I think it's time for the reasons you absolutely SHOULD be a college athlete.
They don't mention this shit either, or they might I don't really know. I only went on like two visits and both were prettttty shitty.
Being as close as you are to your team can get a bit ridiculous. Like mooning people on the bus during road trips, and making up dances to video and put on Youtube.
You always have drinking buddies, and you always will have someone to see that new movie with! Your poor boyfriend will most likely be hanging out with you and your team more than anyone and he will surprisingly love it. You will always have those stories about who ate shit at practice or who got their car broken into in the parking lot during practice.
Classes are fifty times better with a team mate and don't forget the lunch buddy possibilities.
You make friends and tell them things you haven't even told your childhood bestie. They don't judge or scold they just laugh along with you about that hook up you may or may not have had over fall break. There are always at least five other people around to make fun of the coach with you, and you will never be lonely when it's a snow day.
Most importantly as much as you struggle through the week. Through weights, and practice, and team meetings. They are struggling right along with you. Everyone else is in the same boat headed to the same place. Which is comforting to know especially since its a rough ride.
So when you go on the trips to see if you really want to go to that college, don't worry about whether you will make it there or not. If you really want to be an athlete you will be. Humans do crazy things for something they want.
Make sure that you can talk to the people you will basically, and/or literally be living with for the next four years. Because if you can't, THAT will be the ONLY reason you wouldn't make it.
I know you think it might be the time your team gets caught drinking that does you in, but it isn't as bad as you think it will be. Don't ask me how I know.
Mother of pearl
It's almost one.
Dueces!
