Student athletes, facing a combination of physical, educational and time pressures, must nevertheless find ways to balance those pressures while avoiding burnout during the school year.

All athletes looking to continue their involvement must stay above a minimum line of academic success — below which a student may not play sports on campus. Students looking to attend a four-year university must devote extra time to academics. Simultaneously, students will seek adequate sleep and personal time.

In the past, junior Wes Slajchert was one such athlete with too little time.

“I used to play football and baseball [along with basketball] up until high school, but basketball and school demand so much of my time that I’m not able to anymore,” Slajchert wrote.

Slajchert ultimately dropped playing football and baseball, feeling that he didn’t have the time to play all three sports.

His schedule relatively lightened, junior basketball player Wes Slajchert said he would go on to play basketball with little effect to his academics.

“It hasn’t really affected my grades,” Slajchert wrote in an email. “My parents make sure that I know school comes first.”

And, in Slajchert’s experience, instead of compromising his health through concussions or other injuries, playing a sport has done the opposite.

“If anything, I think it has improved my overall health, but I personally make sure to take care of my body. I am always monitoring myself and never pushing too hard,” Slajchert wrote.

Sophomore cheerleader Emma Wachsmith said she feels that, in addition to helping her stay physically active and healthy, cheerleading has also taught her to manage her schedule.

“Cheer is a very big time commitment, but it helps me with my time management, and [with] staying organized and up to date with school work,” Wachsmith wrote in an email.

As a cheerleader, Wachsmith said she practices twice a week, attends Oak Park’s athletics events and must also adapt to sporadic schedule changes.

“I would say I am not getting as much sleep as I’m supposed to with the additional homework,” Wachsmith wrote.

But Wachsmith also noted that cheerleading itself does not cause her fatigue. Participating in additional extracurricular activities, including music and tutoring, ultimately added to her daily stress level.

“I would say there are things I could remove from my schedule to create less stress, but most of my activities are music, cheer and weekly tutor sessions.” Wachsmith wrote. “Cheer is manageable itself. When other things are added, that is what creates my fatigue.”

Despite her involvement, Wachsmith has developed certain strategies for managing her responsibilities.

“I keep a calendar and put all my activities for the month in it to stay organized, and make sure [that] within those activities I make time for tutoring and time for homework,” Wachsmith wrote.

But not every athlete will succeed at juggling all of their commitments. When students fail to prioritize schoolwork, Coach Ann Pettit said, they may come under threat of academic probation.

“I would say on average about five-six athletes receive probation per season,” Pettit wrote in an email. “It is the athlete’s responsibility to work with the teacher to improve their grade by seeking help, attending 7th period, making up any tests or assignments that can be made up.”