Life As a Division III Student-Athlete

One way a lot of people would describe student-athletes in Division III would be “Division III athletes, same passion, less perks.” It is true we have the same passion for the sport we play just like Division II and I athletes, just without the scholarships and excessive amount of gear. Division III was created to encourage an environment of academics first. While this is true, it does not mean that coaches let up on the amount of practice and workout times. I play golf here at Berry College. As a Division III student-athlete, I feel like I need to be on my A game ALL THE TIME. Not only do I have to perform on the course, but also in the classroom and at my job. I feel like there is no room for me to make mistakes. It’s exhausting and usually, I do not realize how stressed I am until it is too late and I am burned out and near a breakdown.

A typical day for me, or any Division III athlete usually, is I wake up and go to workouts at 7:45. We work out for an hour before I rush back to my dorm to take a 2-minute shower before I go to my 9 am class. When my 9 am class ends at 9:50, I then go to work from 10 – 11:30. After work I usually attempt to grab something to eat before going to my 12 o’clock class. When this class ends at 12:50, I then have about 20 min before I go back to work from 1:30 – 3. After I get off work I go straight to practice for about 2 hours working on drills or qualifying for an upcoming tournament. After practice, I grab something to eat for dinner really fast on my way to the library to get my homework done. Then I go to sleep and wake up and do it all over again. Just typing that stressed me out.

Personally, it can be really hard to watch your friends have fun on a Friday night when you have to go to bed early because you leave for a tournament the next morning. You try to remind yourself that “I do this because I love my sport,” but sometimes I question this and I am pretty sure every athlete does at some point in their career. You wonder, is all of this worth it? This is a question that constantly goes through every athlete’s mind. You wonder, “is this what I worked my whole life for?”

Athletes of all divisions tend to tie their self-worth with their athletic performance. This is something I have personally struggled with a lot throughout my college athletic career. I base my mood on the number I shot after playing 18 holes. Even when I know I should not do this, it is a subconscious feeling. The feeling of wanting your coach to think highly of you, impress your teammates, and even make your family proud. You want to show your parents that all those years of waking up early for tournaments and all the miles put on the car going to tournaments were worth it. That pressure can get to you and affect all aspects of your life.

Especially in Division III, athletes are not just seen as athletes. They are seen as a friend, scholar, and employee as well as an athlete. As hard as it is, I have to get back to the reason why I started playing golf in the first place: it was fun. I need to get back to the idea that I began golf because it was fun to play. I have been so caught up in trying to make every swing, shot, and putt perfect when in reality the only way I will really perform at my best is if I am having fun. Worrying about what other people are thinking of my performance and swing is not going to help me, it is only going to hinder me.

If we do not love what we are doing, why put in the time? In order to do your best, you need to enjoy what you are doing. This applies to sports, your major, and even your job. We are only on this earth for a short period of time. We might as well do what we love while we are here.

Written by Teagan Fritts