No rest for the weary
When a new school year starts, there’s nothing students look forward to more than breaks. Whether it is Spring Break or Christmas Break, students are happy to have one.
That is, unless you are a student-athlete. Athletes at the University of Indianapolis miss out on these much-needed breaks. This time off gives many students the chance to catch up on work, visit with family and have time to themselves. Student-athletes still practice, leaving them with very little free time. While most of campus has gone home, they are here, practicing with the teams they are devoted to.
The football team is no exception to this tradition.
Junior linebacker Tyler Peterman knows a lot about being involved with a team. This being his third year with the Greyhounds, he finds time to study and practice over Fall Break.
“We will practice both days, just like any other week of the year,” Peterman said.
Peterman doesn’t feel as if he is missing out on anything during break. “Our team needs to practice those two days so we will be ready for the game that weekend,” he said.
Every sports team has a different view on this matter.
Junior Kourtney Crawford, outside hitter for the women’s volleyball team, knows a thing or two about being devoted to practices. Crawford has gotten used to missing out on Fall Break.
“Our team usually practices less because we have a big tourney before break. If we do well, we won’t work so hard,” she said. “It would be nice to have at least one day off to recuperate, though.”
With other students going home or other places over breaks, the athletes for the most part are the only ones left on campus.
“It’s like summer. No one is here, and that’s nice,” Crawford said.
When you see students in jerseys, you forget how hard they work. They are here when everyone else has gone home and long forgotten about schoolwork.
Ryan Barnett, a junior defender for the men’s soccer team, knows how important practices are to improve both his skills and the team’s as a whole.
“If our team has a game coming up, no one really minds practicing. It gets us prepared,” Barnett said. “Sometimes we will receive one day off. It just depends.”
It can be a challenge for athletes to schedule going home around practices.
“I live close, so I could always go home if I chose to,” Barnett said. “I know the guys that live farther away probably mind. This is just a sacrifice you make to be on a team.”
Another major break at UIndy is Spring Break, a weeklong vacation for students and a week of practices for the student-athletes. Tennis players, whose main season is in the spring, miss out on Spring Break.
Senior Christian Nikou, a men’s tennis player for the Greyhounds, has always missed out on this long-awaited, student-favorite break.
“Being an athlete comes with many advantages and disadvantages,” Nikou said. “I just stay positive, we will be that much better come match time.”
For any student, times can be tough. Breaks can help give students the extra time they need to get caught up or relax. As for these student-athletes, they dedicate what would be their free time to practicing, which is one reason why the Greyhounds excel in sports.
The different breaks for different teams:
Thanksgiving Break: Most student-athletes in season get a long weekend.
Christmas Break: Winter sports typically get a maximum of two weeks to go home while the regular student body enjoys about a month of vacation.
Spring Break: If winter sports are in post-season, they are still competing; meanwhile spring sports are just get getting into their regular season schedules.
Summer Break: Spring sports in post-season go well into May, while all fall sports return at least two weeks early to begin their preseasons.
