Teenage high school students are pitted against each other academically and athletically, nationwide. Many of these students get the best (and worst) of both worlds and are sometimes unfairly stereotyped as “jocks.”

Freshman Tyler Pulik played his first season of varsity soccer at Eleanor Roosevelt High School and hopes to play baseball in the spring; he had a lot to say about what it is like in the life of a multi-sport student athlete.

“Being a multi-sport athlete at Eleanor Roosevelt High School means I have to work very hard in and out of the classroom and be good at time management. I wish time management was easier and I wish completing homework didn’t take up a lot of my time outside of school.”

Time management is a cause for concern for these students because of all the activities they are involved in are time consuming. Pulik along with seniors, Noah Swart and Kevin Lopez all said things that rang true. However, none of them seemed phased by the “jock” stereotype.

Here is what they had to say:

“I’ve been called a jock many times before, usually a jock is referred to being a person that is not smart at all and just focuses on sports. I know I am not that definition so I don’t refer to myself as a jock.” said Pulik.

Swart elaborated, “In my experience it really is only that, a stereotype you see in movies.  Most people I’ve played with are the nicest, most hardworking people I’ve ever met and to this day many people I’ve played with remain my best and most loyal friends.”

Lopez simply said “High school jocks are not a thing in Roosevelt.”

Sports tend to take a lot of time, but these athletes made it clear that they spend just as much time in the classroom. The main issue these athletes cited was less time available to work on homework and study. “I don’t think it affects my academics other than rushing to do my homework” says Pulik.

Swart emphasized “I really think that being an athlete has helped me learn how to get work done effectively in a short amount of time.” and continued on to say “I find my grades are better while I’m playing sports as I know I have to be constantly working.”

However, Lopez conceded to struggling sometimes with this lifestyle. “One thing I wish was easier as a multi-sport athlete is time management. Often, I come home after practice or a game, and I find myself in my room, ready for bed. It’s difficult balancing school time and sports time, since both take up more than half of a regular day.”

When asked if he ever questioned his decision to play multiple sports on top of being a high schooler, Lopez explained that he had this very predicament only a couple of years ago. “I remember the beginning of sophomore year, I was playing soccer for a club team, on the step team, and interested in lacrosse. So much was going on with back to back practice, it was a lot to handle. Because of this, I had the idea that I had to quit or else I would not survive high school. Inevitably, I had to quit step because I simply enjoyed soccer and lacrosse more. They also weren’t full year sports so I would have some breaks and they’re schedules wouldn’t intertwine, allowing me to focus on each sport when it’s time came.”

Along with sports and academics, these students also have lives away from Roosevelt that consist of family and other hobbies. You may wonder how they even have time on their hectic schedules for these activities.

For example, Noah explained “I love to play the guitar, and it really is hard to make time for it between practices and homework.  Luckily I am able to practice in the class at Roosevelt and I often find myself staying up late at night and playing after my work is finished.”

Kevin, who has a job and an internship, had a lot to say on this matter. “Outside of school and sports, I have an internship at Catholic University, a job, and I’m a part of NHS. My internship isn’t a part of the typical internship with Mrs. Twu, so I have to take all 8 classes(technically 9 since I have 0 period also) and on Mondays I go to Catholic University for about 2 hours. Unfortunately, NHS has meetings on the first Monday of every month, so I usually just reschedule my internship meeting that week. Finally, during sports season, I tell my job I can only work on weekends and I usually work 4-5 hours each day to avoid not having time for homework.”

Not only do these multi-sport student athletes participate in athletics, they also value their education immensely. Along with this, these students make time for their family, hobbies, and jobs in a hectic schedule in which most could not handle every single day.