The Great Balancing Act - Life as a Student Athlete

The silence of the quiet morning is shattered by the sound of Marley Wertz’s 5 a.m. alarm. There is a momentary pause before her feet hit the floor and the pressure of the day begins. It is fleeting but welcome as she knows the demands to come. Even before she leaves the house the work of balancing life as a high school student athlete is on full display. After the backpack is loaded with her computer, books, and last night’s homework she turns her focus to her sports bag for practice with the same attention to detail. Breakfast is made and lunch is packed along with snacks for throughout the day. Marley heads out the door and drops her brother off at the middle school before pulling into her parking spot at the high school. As the key clicks off, she lets out a sigh. She has a full day of classes ahead of her followed by practice. Her internal drive and dedication kick in, helping to stave off the low energy she normally feels but hides from those around her.

A few miles away, Levi Schurter is wrestling with the same internal struggle. He knows zero period weights will be here before he knows it, but that voice telling him “five more minutes” is battling the booming tones of Coach Lever pushing him to be his best. A deep breath in, a stretch of the arms, and Levi is up, one challenge conquered, 1,000 more to go. His balancing routine also starts early. While the waffles cook, he prepares practice gear, his school work, and anything else he needs for the day. Fueled up with breakfast, he is out the door at 6:45 heading to SHS. He pulls into a nearly empty student lot as his day is starting earlier than most students and even some staff members.

As the building slowly fills with students, Marley slips into the rhythm of the school day. Her schedule is demanding, Health Science, Accelerated English, Anatomy, AP Psychology, College Algebra, and U.S. History. Each class brings another assignment, another expectation, another reminder that being a student athlete means the word student always comes first. In between lessons and notes she studies for a quiz, finishes part of an essay, and mentally tracks what still needs to be done later that night. The pace of the day rarely slows.

Across campus, Levi has already completed a workout most students never see. The sweat from zero period weights has barely dried before he is sitting in his first class. His schedule moves quickly as well, ASB Leadership, Ag Skills, Metal Fabrication, Accelerated English, Chemistry, and U.S. History. Some classes provide a mental break from the intensity of athletics, while others demand deep focus. Chemistry in particular brings its own set of challenges. Between assignments, expectations, and preparation for upcoming tests, the academic pressure is real.

What many people don’t see is that the work of a student athlete doesn’t start after the final bell, it runs through every part of the day. Both Marley and Levi carry the quiet pressure to perform not only on the court, but also in the classroom. Low energy, heavy workloads, and packed schedules are constant companions.

By the time lunch arrives, the morning energy has faded for both students. Marley slips into Coach Ogle’s familiar classroom where a few teammates are already gathered. Backpacks drop to the floor, containers open, and the quiet hum of conversation begins. Pasta packed from the night before, fuel for the afternoon to come. There are brief moments of laughter, quick conversations about schoolwork, and the inevitable talk about practice, scout team, and film. It’s one of the few moments during the day when the pace slows.

Levi’s lunch comes after a long stretch of classes, ASB Leadership, Ag Skills, Metal Fabrication, Accelerated English, Chemistry, and U.S. History stacked one after another. When the bell rings, he grabs something quick and finds a seat alone for a few minutes of quiet. The cafeteria buzzes around him, but the short break gives him a moment to slow down before the day picks up speed again.

To many students walking by, he looks like exactly what they expect to see, a confident student athlete moving through the day. But beneath the surface, the story is more complicated.

While others see the semi-popular basketball player, Levi is often replaying moments in his mind. A missed assignment from the last game. A play he wishes he had handled differently. The quiet pressure to improve, to be better, to prove to himself that he is enough for the role his team needs him to fill. Those thoughts rarely stay on the court. They follow him through the school day, lingering quietly behind the easy smiles and hallway conversations.

For most students, the final bell signals the end of the day. For Marley and Levi, it signals the transition to the second half.

By mid-afternoon, Marley is switching from her school bag to gym bag as she gets ready for practice with her team. Warm ups flow quickly into drills. Coaches call out instructions. Teammates push one another through conditioning and repetitions. The expectation is clear: high energy, constant communication, and full effort.

It is demanding work, especially after a full day of classes. Yet this is the part of the day Marley looks forward to the most.

It wasn’t always that way.

During her freshman year, the experience nearly ended before it truly began. Surrounded by new teammates and unfamiliar expectations, Marley found herself feeling closed off and unsure of where she fit. The pressure and uncertainty built to the point where she seriously considered quitting. But she stayed. Day by day, practice by practice, she slowly found her place. The friendships grew stronger, confidence followed, and what once felt overwhelming became something she now deeply values.

Across the hall in the other gym, the music plays while Levi and his teammates get warm for practice. The hum and energy of the school day has been quickly replaced with high energy drills, coaches voices booming across the court, and feet pounding up and down the hardwood.

The practice demands focus. It does not care about the list of assignments to complete, the score on the last test, or stress of the upcoming presentation. The height of the rim doesn’t change, the sprint from key to key is the same, and the 3pt arc is always 19.75ft. Levi digs deep and pulls on any remaining energy, leaving it all on the court.

When practice ends and the final whistle blows, exhaustion settles in for both students. But the day still isn’t finished.

Marley heads home in the early evening knowing the next shift of the day is about to begin. Homework and studying come first. There are notes to review, assignments to complete, and preparation for tomorrow’s classes. Somewhere between dinner, stretching, and a quick shower, she packs lunch for the next day and prepares for another early morning. The hours move quickly, and before long she is heading to bed earlier than most teenagers her age.

Levi’s evening often stretches even later. After practice, the drive home is quiet, the adrenaline slowly fading. But responsibilities still wait. Homework must be finished. Plans for the next day must be made. Some nights include taking car of the pigs and other household chores. The decision of what to prioritize, sleep, schoolwork, or preparation for the next competition, is a constant balancing act.

It is a choice student athletes face nearly every day.

From the outside, it can be easy to see the visible parts of athletics: the uniforms, the crowds, the scoreboard, the moments under the lights. But those moments are only a fraction of the story.

What often goes unseen are the alarms before sunrise, the workouts before class, the constant juggling of assignments and practices, and the quiet mental battles athletes carry with them long after the game ends.

For Marley Wertz and Levi Schurter, the sacrifices are real. Free time is rare. Sleep is often limited. The work behind the scenes can feel endless.

And yet, neither would trade the experience. National data consistently shows the benefits of being a student-athlete, higher GPAs, stronger test scores, better attendance, and lower dropout rates, but those statistics are not what drive Marley and Levi.

The friendships built with teammates, the support of coaches, and the pride of representing their school make the long days meaningful. Each early morning, each late night, and each moment of doubt becomes part of something bigger.

For these student athletes, success isn’t measured only in wins and losses. It’s measured in perseverance.

And tomorrow morning, long before most of the town wakes up, the alarms will ring, and they will both get up and do it all over again.

 

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Marley is a junior at Silverton High School. She is a three sport student athlete competing on the soccer, basketball, and track teams. After graduating, her plan is to attend a 4 year college or university, majoring in nursing or premed.

Levi is a junior at Silverton High School. He is also a three sport student athlete competing on the football, basketball, and track teams. Upon graduation, Levi plans to attend a 2 year college either at Linn Benton or Chemeketa to pursue education in Business and Finance to help with his family and personal businesses.