Hi all,
Woohoo, another week of February in the books! Here at Wellesley, we had a long weekend due to the President’s Day holiday, but I am certain this “short” week will likely feel even longer than a typical week! As we (almost) close out this month of February, the lacrosse team and I will have our first game this coming Saturday! We are going to be traveling to Long Island to play an out of conference game against Merchant Marine. In light of the upcoming season, I thought I could shine some light on what it is like to be a student-athlete here at Wellesley!
I want to preface this post by saying that this has been my experience, and it certainly is not the universal experience of every Wellesley student-athlete, every D3 athlete and even not the same experience of lacrosse players at Wellesley. I think there are many pros to being a student-athlete and then some cons which just come with the terrain. For example, the privilege to play a collegiate sport is a unique experience, which not everyone has the chance to take part in. I am extremely grateful to my parents and past coaches for their belief in me and giving me the resources I needed to be in this position!
In terms of the day-to-day experience, as a student-athlete it is a NCAA rule that we must be in full academic standing. In Wellesley’s case, a full-time student is one who takes three courses, but most of the team takes four to five. We play six out of the seven days of the week with our typical game schedule being on Wednesday/Saturday. At Wellesley, we participate in the NEWMAC conference which stands for the ‘New England Mens and Womens Athletic Conference’ and face competition from the following schools: Salve Regina, MIT, Clark, Babson, Wheaton, Coast Guard, Emerson, Springfield, Smith, and Mount Holyoke. Our farthest travel (I believe) is Springfield at about 2 hours. We also participate in out of conference matchups like our first game this coming Saturday.
The lacrosse season is broken up into three main parts; Fall Ball, Preseason and Season. As a team, we participate in a ‘fall ball’ season, which is a combination of twenty-four practices and lifts throughout the week. In preparation for the coming season, our ‘preseason’ is six days of practice and then three lifts a week. I would say preseason is the hardest part of the season as it is consistent hard work and long days. I love having games as it breaks up the monotony which comes with a long preseason. This year, preseason has been a nice mix of film sessions, practice, and the usual lifting sessions. In terms of season, we will be off and running from February 24 through April 27! Three months of hard work and dedication but being a part of the team is well worth it.
The biggest challenge with being in season is just maintaining a routine. I am taking five classes this semester, working a part-time job, participating in a remote internship, and actively looking for summer internships all while being in season. It does get really overwhelming, but having the perspective that it is only three months of “the grind” makes it all the more manageable. And the sixteen other people going through the same exact thing! All in all, being a student-athlete is all that you make of it. 😀
Until next week then,
Anna Tutek
My younger brother and I after my game!
Siblings and I after a game!