STEELE SPORTS

I think a stigma and common misconception about being a student-athlete in the high school to college level is that all of the athletes you see on a daily basis have easy, privileged lives.

Whether you view them as a friend, fan, or family member, what you are most likely not seeing is the pressures that come with being a top performer at your level.

High school and college are two entirely different ballparks – so to speak – yet student-athletes at both levels are struggling in three major areas all at once: school, sports, and social life.

For those of you reading this with student-athlete children, what I will be advising with this article is checking in with your children and making sure that they are in a good place managing all three.

I know personally that high school is a fragile time for athletes with goals of reaching the next level.

As someone who was never a tremendously gifted athlete, the only other option to make it to the level I desired was to be the hardest worker on and off the field.

Seven days a week, I used to drive to a gym located in a renovated storage shed behind a run-down trailer park in San Jose, California.

Long days spent at school trying my best to get grades good enough to be accepted into the colleges I wanted were followed by workouts that tried to break me every single day.

On top of that, we had practice and homework to enjoy afterward.

I found myself with little time for a social life.

It had become a part of my life I felt that I had to sacrifice if I wanted to make it.

It’s a lonely feeling when you sacrifice so much to achieve your dreams, and I can confidently say that I would have gone nowhere if it weren’t for my mother keeping tabs on me through the whole process.

Parents, you have to take the time to make sure your student-athlete is not falling into a cycle of suffering, where they feel as if they have to choose which part of life to sacrifice.

First and foremost, make sure your student-athlete is a student first.

Without grades, there is no such thing as a student-athlete.

The next priority should be making sure their social life and athletic schedule are flexible enough to allow them to operate as a normal teenager.

One of my biggest regrets will always be allowing my love for athletics to open the door for friendships and relationships to fail.

Simply put, sports come to an end for nearly everyone.

What never ends are the bonds made early on in life.

If you have a sense that your student-athlete is isolating himself or herself, you have to try and remind them to take some time to embrace those around them.

If your athlete has already moved on to college, make sure to call them often to check-in.

College sports are a whole different beast and operate as more of a business than a sporting organization.

Whether you know it or not, your calls and words may be exactly what your child needs to hear for clarity during a scary new chapter in life.

Simply put, part of being an athlete is learning how to handle pressure in all aspects of life.

Nobody is truly strong enough to do it themselves, nor should they have to be.

Be the friend, fan, or family member that they need.

Let them know you’re in their corner when you can and watch them accomplish their goals and reach new heights you knew they were destined to achieve.