Three Sport Threat

The life of a three sport student athlete is restless. So what is the key to maintaining sanity?

Imagine waking up at 5:30 AM, before the sun even rises, and going to school to help make breakfast with the Wellspring Club. You spend an hour cracking eggs and flipping pancakes all while you are still half asleep. After Wellspring is over, you have an hour to cram for the big APUSH test you didn’t have time to study for the night before and finish up the last problems of your Honors Math Analysis homework. Once you finally get to A Set and have a chance to talk to your friends and catch up on the latest gossip, you realize this is just the start of your day.

This is the average Friday morning of Remi Kirrene (’17).

After she finishes a long day at school with five demanding honors classes, she heads to the women’s locker room to change into her wrestling gear. Her day isn’t over until 5:30 PM, 12 hours after she woke up.

For most athletes, this tiresome schedule is only endured for two or three months. Unfortunately for Remi, and a handful of other CB athletes, this draining routine is continuous throughout the school year because she is constantly involved in a different sport each season. Over the past year and a half, Remi has learned what it takes to keep her school work and sports organized and in balance.

“I definitely think to be an athlete here at CB it takes dedication to your sport and to get all of your school work done,” she says. “You have to be really good at time management because you get home from your sport at like 6 PM and then you have to start your homework and then start the next day over again.”

Madeline Barros (’16) also added some input on what an athlete has to do to stay motivated.

“You have to want it. Even if you’re not great at it you have to want to be there, want to be better, and want to learn how to be better,” she says. That’s what makes an athlete.”

Discipline is required one hundred percent of the time in order to achieve the most possible – in and out of the classroom. But finding the perfect sense of balance can be quite the challenge. When it comes to the classroom, some teachers are unrelenting in assigning assignment after assignment. Remi has come face to face with this challenge recently as her workload has become heavier her junior year.

“I would say it has definitely been a challenge and because not a lot of people do three sports — it’s not like the teachers are super lenient,” she says. “With a lot of my classes I have to meet with my teachers outside of class to get extra help, and it’s hard to find times to do that.”

As a senior, Madeline has had a lighter load of work but still has to manage time for college applications. Her body never seems to be getting a rest.

“Trying to find free time, to be honest, is the hardest thing about being an athlete,” Madeline confesses. “Especially to do homework because you get home super late and you’re exhausted. And having no break [in between seasons] is really tiring on your body because you go from one sport to the next.”

Although the continuous cycle of practices and games seems never ending to the two upperclassmen, being a part of CB’s athletics has not been a negative experience. The beauty of sports and being part of a team is that you grow in unexpected ways. With each team comes a unique experience and environment.

“It’s hard to say [which sport is best] because each sport is different.” Madeline says.

As a cross country runner, wrestler and lacrosse player, Madeline has been exposed to many different environments. From the teams to the coaching staff, each sport has something different to offer her.

“Cross Country is pure running and that’s all you do. It’s really hard because it is so difficult on your legs,” the senior says. “With lacrosse, it’s just nice to be on a team since the other two sports I do are more individual.”

“I love wrestling because it’s unlike anything I’ve ever done; it’s completely foreign to me when I joined,” she admitted. “It’s probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done.

One thing the two wrestlers can both agree on is that winter season is the most challenging.

“It’s when I have my first finals and those are the usually hardest,” Remi says. “It’s my hardest sport.”

But having a strong support system like their teams and coaches, helps them endure their strenuous schedules. Besides helping athletes be as stress free as possible, coaches also play a larger role in their athlete’s lives.

Women’s Varsity Wrestling coach and CB alum Juanita Patlan ’12 revealed her thoughts on the importance of being an effective coach and an overall good role model.

“Coaching is important because you’re not only teaching the athlete what they need to know for their sport, but you’re helping them shape who they are going to become.” Juanita emphasizes that, “If you don’t have someone pushing you and motivating you, having the drive to succeed is not natural. It’s really hard to just have it on your own so if you have someone pushing you and asking for more you’re going to expect more of yourself.”

As someone who also participated in three sports during her time at CB, Juanita recognizes that coaches and their coaching styles do affect how an athlete performs. Out of the many coaches she has had, she has found that one particular attribute of a coach is key.

“The best coach is a strict coach; someone who doesn’t want you to win but someone who wants you to get better because winning is not what it should be about,” she adds, “they want you to get better for yourself.”

Madeline stands by the idea that coaches are a huge support system and should really push their athletes to their fullest potential, even if it requires putting in more work.

“If your coach doesn’t really say anything to you, doesn’t congratulate you or help you become a better athlete, then it’s not going to help you go further.”

A lot of factors come into play when athletes want to pursue any sport. Whether it is the coaching staff or the team itself, an athlete will always have backing. But nothing poses more of a threat or hurdle than yourself. Madeline sums it up simply as a having immense determination and motivation to push yourself constantly, especially to do three sports.

“To do three sports you really just have to be determined and want it. You want to do each one, you want to constantly be better at every single one and you have to like it. You can’t do something you’re not going to like because you’re not going to enjoy it and you’ll be wasting your time.”

“I think it’s pretty rewarding. It’s nice to say that you’re a three sport athlete and that you’re able to do it because not a lot of people do.”