A Student’s Point of View: Being a Student Athlete
I have enjoyed blogging this semester and for this post I thought it might be interesting to feature a student athlete. In particular I wanted to share some of the realities of being a D1 student athlete at RIT. I’ve always been curious about why athletes do what they do, and the academic lifestyle they have to keep as well as how they balance both worlds.
Logan Land is a fifth-year graduate student in media arts and technology. She also plays for RIT‘s D1 women’s hockey team, something she has done for five years. The reason I interviewed Logan Land is because of her experiences in balancing student life and college sports. Plus she is now a member of the RIT Photo community and she was available 🙂
Since Logan was young, she has always been on the ice. Her family’s love for hockey influenced her and she set her sights on college hockey. She pursued hockey throughout high school until it was time to pick a college and she knew she wanted to play hockey in college. At the RIT, the Saunders College of Business information systems was ranked in top six in the country and the women’s hockey team’s had a good reputation. Enrolling at RIT was an obvious choice.
Her first year at RIT wasn’t easy to figure out between the balance of college and sports. It took some patience to find the right balance between homework, preparing for tests, practicing every day and having 2 hockey games a week during the season. Logan’s passion for hockey is strong but she knew her school work had to come first. She continues to grow and uses the routines that she cultivated and is excited about what is coming next.
Logan’s routine and being a part of her hockey team has not only benefited her but also has helped her studies. Working as a team and the relevant practice she must subscribe to helps her use the same skills for her schoolwork. One important skill is communicating with her teammates and classmates. Logan has honed those skills over the four years which she feels contributes to her not letting her teammates down or her classmates.
Logan is a graduate student and in her final year at RIT. Besides being a student athlete she was also voted as the team Captain this year. This means she has more responsibility on her shoulders and she has to work harder to set an example. These are roles she is familiar with.
I asked Logan to answer two questions , “What have been the challenges you have dealt with” and “Is it worth it?”
Logan answered, While playing a college sport, you face many challenges. You know what it feels like to be a winner and how it feels to win. You also learn about losing. While losing is not pleasant, knowing why you lost and figuring out how to win is a life skill. I’ve faced seasons that we didn’t win many games and I learned how to be a good teammate when times are tough and work harder to be better. I’ve overcome many injuries and learned how to be a leader off the ice even if I wasn’t able to play.
Logan share playing division one hockey has definitely been worth it and I’ve made many lifelong friends. I have learned many life lessons that were not taught in my classes.
Logan experiences as an athlete and student definitely shaped her for the better and for her future. All through the years and as Logan looked back, she now knows it has all been worth it.
I really understand and appreciate her passion for both worlds she was able to foresee. by Emily Suddock
About Emily Sudock
Emily is a second-year advertising photography student who is also cross-registered in the National Technical Institute for the Deaf. I have been hard of hearing most of my life. I was born in China adopted by my loving family. They are a big part of life. I have a Nikon 600 with a 35 mm lens which I love taking portraits with.
