There is a saying in sports that one has to practice hard in order to play hard. However, some student-athletes find themselves on the sidelines even after they give their all in practice. This is not because the coach believes the athlete is not good enough to be playing, and the coach is not punishing the athlete.

            The student-athletes are not playing because they are academically ineligible. The eligibility system determines whether a student-athlete should be allowed to play depending on his or her grades. If a student-athlete has poor grades, they are deemed academically ineligible and are not allowed to participate in competition. Many student-athletes find themselves having eligibility trouble because they do not have enough time to get all their work done.    

            “I have to do homework for a bunch of AP classes after practice, so by the time I’m done with all of my homework (if I do it all at home), it’ll be anywhere between midnight and 2am,” said Shaun Bonefas, senior track and cross country runner.

 Between both sports Bonefas says has very little time to himself. On occasion, he says, he has trouble with grades. He often finds himself getting home from school very late.    

“Cross country eats up a lot of time after school, so by the time I’m done with my warm-up, work out, and cool-down, and then ice bathing to prevent injuries, I don’t get home until around 6:30,” Bonefas said.   

Bonefas says he uses many of his open periods throughout the school day to finish his homework, which often helps him maintain his grades.

“I usually never finish my homework at night. I end up doing it during the day at school, or before school,” Bonefas said. “I’ve come very close, but I’ve never actually been ineligible.”

Although it may seem very overwhelming to keep up grades with a full schedule, it is possible with some hard work and determination.

“Homework is the most difficult thing to find time to do,” Timmy McCullough, junior, said. McCullough is involved in lacrosse, and has never had any problems with eligibility. He says he always tries to get his homework done in school.

“Whenever I have any free time, or during lunch I’ll go to the library to do homework, or I’ll make sure to get it done in class as much as I can. When I get home, I make sure to do it right away,”

McCullough plays lacrosse through school, as well as an out-of-school team. Between the two commitments, he spends about 18 hours total per week on the field. He has never had any problems with grades, and he says that doing homework efficiently can help keep the grades up.

“You still have to take the time to do it correctly,” McCullough said.

Every student-athlete has their own way of keeping their grades up. Bonefas recalls important tips from his struggles that might help a borderline student-athlete stay off the ineligibility list. 

“I would say go find your teacher. The teacher knows exactly what they’re looking for and they know what’s going to be on the tests and quizzes. So they can help you through any problems you might be having with the homework or the grades,” Bonefas said. “That will definitely get that grade up.”