STORY BY LARISSA SAMANO, SPORTS EDITOR
PHOTO, CHRONICLE FILE PHOTO
Cypress College is known for many things academically, but also athletically. While many students are there studying for their career, there are a few athletes still training to get the chance to play at the next level.
People wonder: How do you ever have time to relax? Aren’t you tired? Why are you still trying to play? Being a student athlete is a full time commitment that not everyone gets the pleasure to experience at the college level.
Well, we are here to give you an inside look of the grits behind the glory.
Follow team captain of the men’s soccer team Jordy Galán on his typical Friday routine to get insight on what it’s like to balance being a student athlete.
This is nothing new for the starting center back because this has been his life for 15 years and counting.
Typically he begins his day waking up at 7:50 a.m. and takes his dog out on a walk around the neighborhood. Getting a bit of exercise and waking up the mind is a staple to start his busy day on the right foot regardless of how much time he has before playing.
After he takes care of his dog, he then gets ready for the day. School and soccer bags get packed with his class essentials and soccer equipment he’ll need since he will be out for the whole day before returning home.
It is a 30 minute drive from his house to campus, so he normally arrives at school at 8:30 a.m. to grab breakfast from the cafeteria before he heads to his first class of the day.
Galán then attends honors nutrition scheduled from 9 A.M. to 12 P.M .but gets excused from class around 10:45 for his away game scheduled at 1 P.M.
The team bus departs from Cypress at 11:30A.M. for their hour-long drive to Compton’s campus. Since it is difficult to find open time in his busy schedule, he takes this time to catch up on any homework for the week.
As an athlete, it is easy to prioritize your sport and forget about school, but the student in “student-athlete” must always come first. Not only to stay eligible to play, but to also gain scholarships to play elsewhere.
After the game is wrapped up, the team all heads back to the bus for their hour-long ride back to Cypress. By the time the team arrives back to campus it is 3:30P.M.
The majority of the players have the rest of the day free, but Galán heads straight to his Associated Student meeting for two hours before wrapping up his day. There they discuss what they can do to better the student life on campus.
The life of a student athlete can look different day to day and can be challenging, but nothing in life comes easy.