It’s Kind of Cool Being a Student-Athlete

So for most of my blog posts I have gone over the negatives of being a student-athlete. I felt this week it should be a bit different, maybe brighten up the mood a bit.

Being a student-athlete is kind of cool actually.

Here is a list of a few things that I find sort of cool being a student athlete (keep in mind I used to be a regular student, so I have been on both sides of the spectrum)

1. You immediately get put into a group of people where you will literally make friends that will last the rest of your life (its like a sorority or fraternity, but minus all the Greek life shit)

2. We get fed everyday practically. For us USC athletes (speaking from my experience as a Galen athlete, which means just women’s and men’s basketball and volleyball, and beach volleyball) we get breakfast in the morning which is a choice between an omelet bar, waffles, yogurt, bacon, hash browns, and either oatmeal or cream of wheat. We also get premade meals for us for “mid-day snack” (but lets be real people we all eat if for lunch)

3. During season we get pregame meals which aren’t half bad

4. We get a shit ton of USC gear, so we don’t have to go buy a bunch of stuff from the bookstore for game days or in general

5. There is a bit of respect that follows being a student athlete. For certain sports you are a bit of a “hot shot” on campus. (Speaking about men’s basketball and football ONLY people!)

6. You get free tutors if need (but these are also mandatory depending on the person and sport they play)

7. We have ICE BATHS!! HELL YEAH!!

8. We have our own gyms to workout in and lift so we aren’t with all the NARPs (Non-Athletic Regular Persons)

9. We get into all sporting events for free, which if you ask me is a really cool perk, because we get to watch all of our friends compete in their prospective sports without having to pay

10. We get to travel across the country and miss class without getting penalized for it (well at least we aren’t supposed to be penalized for it)

11. Lastly, sometimes, like in the case of my team this upcoming May, we get to go play over seas (but if you ask me it’s a tradeoff because we practically don’t have the opportunity to go study abroad because we are training so much, so this is like our version of studying abroad)

These are just a few things that I find cool about being a student-athlete. I really enjoy it despite how much I may complain about how tired, sore, or overwhelmed I am.

It really is a privileged to be a student-athlete at a Division I school let alone USC, and believe me I don’t take it for granted. I appreciate every second of it, and I honestly wouldn’t trade if for anything.

See I was a normal student my sophomore year because I quit for a year after transferring from UW (University of Washington) where I was a volleyball player there as well. After taking a year off and experiencing what it was like to be a normal student, I was a bit bored; I had too much time on my hands, so inevitably I decided to play again.

But taking that time off really has given me a new appreciation for being a student-athlete. It has brought me so many new friends and people that I will honestly say will probably be apart of my life forever. I may not show it all the time, but thank you USC for giving me this opportunity to play the sport I love at a high level and amongst some of my best friends.

Well that’s it for today folks. See you next week :)