Balancing Sports and Science

Written By: Jessica Churchill
Sophomore, Duluth, Minn.
Softball

Being a college student is a challenge. Being a student-athlete is an even bigger challenge; trying to juggle class, practice, and extra-curricular activities while also finding time to sleep is never easy. But when you throw in the demands of a science major (biology, chemistry, physics, etc.) you are presented with the biggest challenge of them all.

For everyone that is a science major and participates in a sport, they know exactly what I mean, everyone else will likely comment "Oh boo being a science major is no different and no more time-consuming that any other major". Let me tell you, unless you are a science major, it is very hard to grasp just how much time lab, presentations, seminars, and research suck out of the week and your life in general. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't be a science major if putting in all this extra time wasn't enjoyable, but I think it's important to recognize the incredible amount of time and effort expended on completing labs, assignments, and studying for exams (especially those fearsome ACS standardized final exams) while giving up your evenings for practices and games. I know that other majors definitely have their share of papers and work, as well as research projects and seminars but the sciences demand just a bit more of your time; lab, seminars, and research are usually year round for the science geeks. Summer vacation doesn't exist for us, it's just a convenient time to do our research projects. That adds up to a lot of hours spent ingesting chemicals, dissecting organisms, and analyzing numbers on a computer that could have been spent hanging out with friends, working out, or sleeping.

I believe that all the athletes here at Hamline work very hard, maybe even harder than regular students who don't have to sacrifice study time for game time. But I also believe that the athletes who are also science majors need to be recognized especially for the amount of work they take on as well as dedicating themselves to their sport(s). Although its a lot of work trying to figure out the multiplicity of each hydrogen peak in an HNMR and as time consuming as five games in a week can be, it's always worth it. The rewarding sensation of that A on an ochem test and the joy felt after beating St. Thomas will always be worth it.

Nothing like California to start the season

Written By: Lisa Harfield
Assistant Softball Coach

With the spring trip and first part of the season over, this year has proven to be very different from the previous years on and off the field. The last two, my first two seasons here at Hamline, were dominated by sophomores and juniors that were all seasoned veterans on the college softball field. This year we have lots of new faces filling important roles, some roles still being fought for. One thing for sure is that we are a very athletic team this year, mixed with upperclassmen and freshman, with a very exciting future. On top of it all, as a group we can have a lot of fun!

California was a jammed packed trip filled with new experiences. We had seven players step onto the dirt for their very first college softball games. Some girls got their first hits, and a couple lucky ladies hit their very first home runs of the season and their college careers. After every person on our team volunteered for the ARC chain of thrift stores, most of us were able to enjoy our first time at the magical world of Disney. Though the players that have been with us for three years have been to Knotts Berry Farm, more than half the team got to experience the amusement park for the first time. Then there was all the firsties to In n Out Burger, Jack in the Box, Chick-Fil-A, and let's not forget the ever enticing Yogurtland. It was a great trip of first times, but the best first to experience was how well each person involved with this team, players, coaches, friends and family, came from all over to be together. It's going to be a great year with many more firsts to come!!!