BY RYAN HELD
SPORTS EDITOR
We are on the home stretch. The semester is coming to an end, which means finals are just around the corner. As student athletes, this makes the student part of our lives that much more important. But we cannot let it take over. Balance is something that every person needs. In order to maintain some form of stability in our lives we need to put equal effort into everything that we do. But what exactly is balance?
Balance is essentially prudence, and prudence is a virtue. It has been said that true virtue lies in the middle of two extremes. Let’s take a close look at this. As students, our function should be to study. Not studying at all will cause us to fail in our academic endeavors. Studying too much will cause us to crash and burn due to the added pressure. So in these next few weeks, aim to study an amount of time that falls in between the two extremes. You should feel prepared but energized as well.
This same practice should be added to our athletics as well. If we don’t practice, we won’t be prepared. Our technique will suffer and our endurance will not be up to par. If we practice and train too much, we will not be healthy. Using parts of the body in excess causes them to break down and become more susceptible to injury. Once again, aim for something that falls in the middle. We should feel technically prepared, but physically healthy as well.
A balanced life should look something like this as well. Everything has its proper context and place. As long as we keep things in their proper place, life should flow smoothly. Unfortunately, this is not easy. But with hard work and the help of others, it can be done. Good luck as finals approach.