A Day in the Life of a Student Athlete
Aleia writes about her day-in-the-life as a student athlete!
Aleia writes about her day-in-the-life as a student athlete!
Wednesday, January 11, 2023
A day just like any other….
6:00AM: Wake Up
My alarm beeps impatiently at 6:00AM. I quickly lean over and tap it. Lifting Time. I throw on my shorts, a sweatshirt and sweatpants combo, and I’m out the door. I walk about 5 minutes from Dow House to Laird Stadium, and arrive about 10 minutes before lifting practice.
6:30 – 7:45AM: Lifting Practice
Lifting practice begins with dynamic stretching and a few activities to warm up our muscles. I slam a giant med ball at the wall before running back to join my team. We head into the weight room and our lifting coach explains the workout. No pull-ups today – let’s go! I lift with the team until we have all finished our workout.
7:45 – 8:10AM: Shower and Breakfast
After lifting practice I run back to Dow house and take the fastest shower ever known to mankind and I run back out the door. I sprint to Burton Dining Hall just in time to catch the swim team sitting down for breakfast. I eat about 5 veggie sausage patties, 4 muffins, 2 bowls of fruit, and then a glass of chocolate almond milk. After sitting for about 15 minutes, I grab my backpack, wave goodbye to my teammates, and head to my 8:30AM class – Public Policy and Global Capitalism.
8:30 – 9:40AM: Public Policy and Global Capitalism
I arrive at Public Policy and Global Capitalism and sit down in the second row. Today we have an ungraded quiz on the reading from last night. I quickly skim over my notes before putting them away and beginning my quiz. It’s timed and there are only ten minutes to complete it – I quickly write everything I can remember on the page. After ten minutes, an alarm beeps. I hand my quiz to the student in front of me and take a few minutes to catch my breath. The class then begins with a lecture about our readings. I take notes and listen. Then, we are placed into small groups and chat about a few of the discussion prompts that were sent to us at the beginning of the week. Finally, we return as a whole group and begin discussing our “hot takes” all together.
9:45AM – 12:15PM – Homework and Lunch
After Class I head over to the library to do some homework and reading for my other classes. I make sure to look over my notes for my next class – Mansions and Shantytowns: Politics of the Spaces We Live In. I want to make sure that I can contribute to the conversation, especially because it is a smaller class!
After doing a little homework, I walk from the library to Sayles Hill Student Union. I grab one of the campus magazines before I leave. This one is called “Baby Teeth.” This edition featured some artwork that my brother made!
12:30 – 1:45PM: Mansions and Shantytowns: Politics of the Spaces We Live In
After Lunch, I walk to the Weitz Center of Creativity and take my final class – Mansions and Shantytowns: Politics of the Spaces We Live In! This class is usually lecture based with a few class discussions. It’s really interesting to learn about how the physical adaptation of space can change the mental perception of space.
3:15-4:45PM: Swim Practice (Women’s Team Wednesday)
After class, I walk to West Gym and get ready for swim practice. Today is Women’s Team Wednesday, which is where we have shorter practice sessions with only one team. Typically the two teams practice together, but today is used to bond with your teammates. We usually do an activity or chat before swimming. It’s my favorite practice day of the week!
6:15 -11PM: Dinner and Homework
After practice I do more homework, eat dinner, and see my friends. I walk over to Sayles again. This is where I meet my friend, Maika. We grab dinner together and chat about our day. Maika realizes that they’re out of lids for plastic cups, and discovers a creative solution!
Occasionally my friends will watch reality TV to destress! This is the most relaxed part of my day at Carleton. Except when I’m writing late night papers, of course!
11:15PM – Sleep!
Around 11:00PM I’ll get ready for sleep and go to bed. I genuinely try to get eight hours of sleep because it’s important to be well rested! This concludes a day in the life of a Carleton College student athlete.
Around campus you’ll find Aleia (she/her/hers) competing on the varsity swim & dive team, dancing in Synchrony II, and crafting (Aleia also up-cycles clothes!). Her favorite spot on campus is the Gould Library (aka “the Libe”) – be sure to ask her which floor is her favorite!