The Complexity of Being a Student-Athlete

At a recent baseball tournament, I watched my nine-year-old stand on home plate, ready to attempt to hit a ball. It was a sport he hadn’t played in a couple of years, and to be frank, he really didn’t enjoy it when he played.

Suddenly, this aspect of sport was right before my eyes in a game that wasn’t going to absorb any of his errors. He swung at the ball and missed. Strike one. He took a deep breath, spun the bat around, tapped it to the base, and got back into position.

The pitcher wound up, pitched the ball, the bat didn’t swing, and the umpire called a ball. Another deep breath, another spin of the bat, tap on the plate, back to position to try again.

The pitcher wound back up and pitched the ball; the ball was outside the strike zone, the bat didn’t swing, and the umpire called a ball.

As the parents cheer “good eye,” the players and coaches keep going. Another deep breath, the spin of the bat, tap on the plate and take a position. The pitch comes in, and the swing is solid. A “good cut,” as they say, the ball lands in the catcher’s mitt, and the umpire yells strike two.

From the time kids enter sports, they are asked to step outside their comfort zone, from trying a new sport to meeting new teammates and coaches, running new plays, and adjusting to their growing bodies. They are challenging their norms every step of the way. Adaptability becomes their most utilized tool. Sports create opportunities for them to learn more about themselves, cultivate strengths, and develop passions. They are asked to find the people they feel their best around, who lift them up and cheer them on.

As student-athletes evolve, they hone this remarkable skill set to develop their trust, confidence, and connection to self. They believe in the process enough to know it’s not going to be linear. There will be seasons they flourish, and seasons they struggle. A quality we could all learn from student-athletes is they keep going regardless of the outcome. Their intrinsic drive and motivation are what fuels them, not the accolades. They show up when it’s hard when their external results don’t match their internal self-belief; they wake up early, complete the extra reps, and avoid any shortcuts. Their commitment, work ethic, and tenacity are bar none.

As a society, we see their victories, but rarely do we fully see or understand the whole picture: their patience with the process and their own growth and development, the sacrifices, injuries, disappointments, setbacks, and adversity they overcame through their ambition and drive. They achieve these monumental physical feats that we all love to celebrate, but the underbelly that got them there is what is truly special.

With two balls and two strikes, I watched my son find his position at the plate. He took a deep breath, spun his bat, hit the plate, and found position. While I was in awe of his ability to regulate his nervous system through the intensity of the moment, he hit the ball, took off running, rounded first base, and slid into second. I could see his beaming smile from across the field as he gave a fist pump and nodded at his coach. It became apparent that it’s not really the athletic accomplishment; it’s their mindset that is the core of their success in every area.