Becoming an athlete can be challenging and involves sacrifices, but there will always be people to support and help you throughout it. I had to make a huge sacrifice when I left all of my friends behind at my previous school to Miami Country Day school to pursue my passion in basketball. Here are some tips on what it takes to become a successful student athlete. 

One expectation of students athletes is to have good grades. Even if you are a great athlete, you will probably not get a full-athletic scholarship if you are not getting good grades. Good grades can also lessen your stress about affording college. 

Student athletes need to understand that it’s about hard work, and that consistent hard work is key to athletic success. Hard working athletes end up playing major college sports and are generally more successful in life.

Being happy in what you do is key; not only in sports but throughout your whole life. There is no point of doing anything that doesn’t make you happy in any kind of way.

Becoming an athlete involves strong communication. Make sure you communicate with your teammates, coaches, teachers, and friends. A big thing to make sure you do is communicate in advance with your teachers to make sure you don’t fall behind in school. 

Always make sure you go to all practices and games. Your flexibility is important when you have to make sure that you are always on time to games and practice.   “If you don’t care for the sport, it shows when you don’t go to practice,” Simona Storm said.

Develop a routine when you play a sport. It is important to stay organized all the time. Find something that works well for you and stick to it. 

Sports don’t only help you get somewhere in life but they also help you make new friends. By participating in sports, you can strengthen existing friendships and create new ones.  

Confidence is key in any sport you decide to play. You always have to believe in yourself in whatever you do. Always play a game with a whole bunch of confidence in yourself. Remember that there are people out there cheering for you and that are very proud of you.