REPORTER BLOG: No 6:00 AM Snooze Button

Sara Shookman
ss237405@ohio.edu

My alarm rang at 6:40 a.m. this morning. Snooze was not an option. It was time to get up.

"Why so early?" screamed my cold toes as they hit the floor, outside of the warm bed.

Time for basketball practice.

The Student Athlete
Of course I'm complaining. Because at 7 a.m. this morning, I wasn't running or dribbling or working on my jump shot. And I hadn't already sat through a half-hour of game films.

I was just holding the camera. I was there for 20 minutes tops. And no offense to the lady Bobcats, but I probably won't be back anytime soon.

But everyday those college athletes wake up at 6 a.m. to get to practice on time. Then they go to class just like the rest of the full-time students here on campus. They are expected to perform -- in the classroom and on the court. No one cuts them a break.

I was never talented in the sports arena, so I can't imagine the dedication the college athlete must have for his or her sport not to hit the snooze at 6 a.m.

For many Ohio University athletes, no matter how hard they practice, their sporting careers will end in Athens. How do those students split their lives between their academic mission and their love of the game?

These student-slash-athletes are accountable to their coaches, their professors and their performance. They spend hours each day in training. They spend weeks each season on the road. How do they balance it all?

The Student Journalist
I stood on the sidelines of this morning's practice and thought about all of this. And just when I started to feel inadequate with my own accomplishments, I remembered.
I don't go to practice each day, but I do spend a lot of time with that camera. At sporting events. At parades. At news conferences. At city council meetings.

Sometimes I'm the one at work while others are enjoying themselves. Sometimes I'm the one charged with asking the tough questions that no one wants to hear out loud.

So is the life of the student slash. Student/Journalist. Student/Mother. Student/Father. Student/Part-time Waitress. Student/Athlete.

None of us has it easy -- well maybe a few stereotypical Animal House characters. But most students are working hard at their studies and their lives outside.

So students, enjoy your holiday breaks. Whether you spend them on the court or on the couch, it's time well-deserved.