At GN, there are tons of sports for whatever you may be interested in — from cheer and dance to football and volleyball. However while playing these sports, have you ever thought about the mental aspect of actually being an athlete? As that sits on your mind, let me talk to you about the common perspective of the mental health of student athletes here at Glenbard North. Beside the students’ perspective at Glenbard North, there is a purpose to being a student athlete, and that purpose is to have fun and try to persevere through the challenges you may face. To emphasize on this, Nurse Kerry Windle says, “I think being an athlete can be really rewarding, but it also can be challenging at times.” This summarizes what being a student athlete really means.
Being a student athlete can be seen as being a normal part of high school life and responsibilities. Participating in a sport can help students stay active and relieve some of the normal stresses of teenagers such as schoolwork and home life. Karina Salgado, ’25, a gymnast on the girls’ gymnastics JV team, says, “I feel like it helps me.” A common belief between many athletes is that being in a sport can be really beneficial to a student’s mental health and overall just a really fun experience. Lilly Jessee,’25, a badminton player on the JV badminton team, says, “And if it’s something you really enjoy that I mean, you enjoy it. It’s fun.” Overall, from an athlete’s perspective, being in a sport and playing competitively is seen in a positive light and a way to be social, stay active, and of course to have fun!
To be a student athlete also means learning lots of life lessons to use in the future. If a student athlete can balance school and athletic responsibilities well, then being an athlete should not impact a student negatively. Another huge factor to successfully balancing responsibilities is time management. A student who has better time management to help complete homework, chores at home, and overall responsibilities is more likely to be a successful student athlete. Apart from balance and time management, the life lessons taught by being a student athlete are very important. Some life lessons taught from participating in various sports can be balance, time management, resilience, and perseverance. Girls’ varsity tennis coach Carrie Gonzalez says, “There’s so many life skills you learn on the court on the field, whatever that you can apply to real life, to not give up on things to be down like you think it’s over, and you claw your way back in you fight for it.”
Overall, being a student athlete is full of different experiences and things to learn. Along with some challenges like putting too much pressure on yourself, or keeping a positive mindset, there are so many moments as an athlete that are extremely rewarding. Lastly, to be an athlete is a responsibility but also the best reward; that feeling when you see your improvement in a sport or your team wins outweighs all of the sacrifices and challenges that come along with being an athlete.