MINNEAPOLIS — We're already a few weeks into the 2024-25 school year and reality is hitting many athletes playing fall sports - if they didn't know already.
Being a student-athlete is no walk in the park.
The hyphen between student and athlete suggests that the blueprint is a 50/50 balance between the two roles, with equal energy being invested into both classroom work and on-the-field practice and games. In reality, every young athlete will find at one time or another that demands from teammates or a coach - or a particularly intense calculus teacher - can throw the balance off-kilter, creating stress that impacts every part of life.
So how does an athlete find a balance that works, whether it be in middle school, or even at the college level? A gent named Kyle Quagliana has a few ideas. He is an associate director at the University of Minnesota's Lindahl Academic Center who works with athletes in the men's basketball, women's soccer and women's golf programs, helping them navigate survive and thrive in an environment that is always challenging, and occasionally overwhelming.
At the U of M, Kyle believes strongly that culture is the building block of making sure athletes realize that they are also students, and take what happens in the classroom seriously. He points to Gopher men's basketball coach Ben Johnson and his program as an example - explaining that Johnson recruits young men who value academics and truly believe it plays a large part in their success.
"We've had 21 degrees earned in our men's basketball program in the last three years. That's crazy!" Quagliana shared. "So it's not me needing to convince anyone, right? It's the culture."
Once culture is established, organization is a key component of thriving academically. Kyle points to the daily demands of the D1 college athlete to underline the importance of having a plan. "It's an 8 to 8 (a.m. to p.m.) deal a lot of the time for these student-athletes. You know what I'm saying? Every sport - that's not one sport exclusive - that's every sport. That's how intense it can be," Quagliana explains. "In my opinion, it's building an academic schedule that works for that student that includes class times and where they need to be, and when practices (are) and how you're going to eat lunch sometimes. Right? We need to think about that. Like, how you're gonna get properly fueled for all this. All of that goes into a plan just like the class schedule, right on top of that."
Another quality that is essential in achieving classroom success for athletes - and non-athletes, for that matter - is identifying and utilizing resources. Kyle is an academic advisor who also oversees the Lindahl Center's tutoring program. He says 40 to 50 tutors are on staff, with expertise in subjects and majors across the board. Instead of being embarrassed or ashamed to seek help, Quagliana says the successful student-athlete will use that resource to move ahead instead of getting stuck, stressed, and left behind.
"You could probably go home and figure this problem out in four hours, right? Or I can get you with a tutor who can explain it to you in an hour and that's you using your time more efficiently," Quagliana reasons. "You're going have to learn how to do that... really, really important."
Kyle adds that there are also specialists on the Lindahl staff who can help student-athletes who might have a learning disability or are trying to navigate a mental health issue.
While most middle and high schools don't have dedicated tutoring centers, a student-athlete who is grappling with a concept or unit doesn't have to be alone in the struggle. They can arrange a peer study session with a top classmate before school or after practice, or approach the teacher and verbalize what's going on. School staff counselors can help with a schedule or plan to stay organized, and keep that student from becoming overwhelmed so the struggles don't follow them home, or onto the field of play.
"I certainly think that when a student-athlete is doing poorly academically, it can have a big impact on their mental health and on the whole shebang. It totally can," Kyle said. "Fortunately, that's pretty rare here, to be honest, (we) very rarely have someone toeing the line of eligibility or anything like that... but I think the two things totally go hand in hand."
So to loop back and restate - even though Kyle Quagliana says he doesn't like to give advice, he provided some solid stuff for young student-athletes to chew on.
Be organized - Sit down before the quarter or semester and hatch a detailed plan that involves class, practice, study time, and proper nutrition and sleep. Follow it as closely as you can.
Use your resources - If your school has academic counselors or tutors, go to them if you get stuck with a class or problem you don't understand. It will save valuable time and head off frustration and stress that are counter-productive both in class and on the field of play. Student-athletes can also organize group study sessions, ask a successful peer for help, or meet with a teacher either before or after class.
Advocate for yourself - Perhaps the most important skill a young student-athlete can develop that will pay off later in life. Don't suffer in silence, or let academic or sporting struggles snowball or fester. Go to someone - a teacher, principal, counselor or coach who has the power and ability to help solve a problem or make things better. You may not get that A, or battle your way to a starting position, but things will get better.
A note here for parents - Quagliana believes mom and dad can and should play a support role, but are doing their student-athlete a disservice if they don't allow some lessons to be learned the hard way.
"Honestly, you're holding them back if you don't let them have some space, right? You don't need to let them go free and have no role... but you can't do everything for him as much as you want to."
While they may seem like different worlds, Kyle believes sports and academics go hand in glove in providing experiences and opportunities that pave the way to future success. He urges young athletes to be aware of where their energy and commitment are going and to not lose sight of the bigger picture.
"You use sports, don't let sports use you. And I guess what I mean by that is, use sports to make friends, use sports to learn leadership, use sports to travel... use sports to learn how to deal with adversity and failure. All the awesome things that come with sports, right?" Quagliana advises.
"These are the reasons that we have sports in our culture... Don't use sports as an excuse for bad grades or as an excuse for not being present, or an excuse for slacking in life. Those are the things that mean sports is using you, dude. That's not how you capitalize on your experiences in life."