At Walter Johnson, games and homework are often competing for the same after-school schedule. With practices stretching into the night and the pressure to perform, many student athletes say the toughest part of their season isn’t on the field, but rather keeping up in the classroom.
Yet, WJ athletes are pushing forward. GPA data provided by Athletic Director Larry Hurd shows that many teams maintained impressively high averages this fall athletic season. Varsity girls’ soccer leads with a 3.64 GPA, followed by Poms (3.61), closely followed by Girls Cross Country (3.606). Even teams with some of the most challenging practice schedules are able to hold solid academic standards.
These numbers come together to paint a picture: student athletes are putting in the work. But behind these impressive averages are the day-to-day realities of balancing two very demanding worlds. And for many, that balance is far from easy.
Athletes are held to a certain standard when it comes to their attendance and academics. Thus leading to increased school productivity. When students are threatened with no participation on game day or not being allowed to take part in practice, attendance improves. For senior varsity field hockey player Alexandria Krouse, sports push her to be accountable for her education.
“I think it [athletics] affects my attendance mostly, because a lot of time with sports, I have to be in school,” Krouse said. “And as soon as sports end, I kind of stop going to school the majority of the time.”
While senior varsity boys basketball player Zaph Abbey says his academic performance hasn’t suffered personally, he agrees that the time commitment still impacts his routine.
“No, I don’t think so,” when asked if basketball has negatively affected his grades. “But for some people, yeah, mostly negatively actually.”
Some athletes, like Abbey, may argue that their heavy sports schedule does not have much impact on their grades. Others argue that it is a big handicap on their after-school schedules.
“[Sports] takes time out of my day and drains my energy because I have to work a lot,” junior varsity football player Luke Maynard said.
But while athletes are juggling their responsibilities, teachers play a major role in keeping them on track. Physical education teacher and coach Butch Worden says that monitoring academics differs depending on the sport, but he aims to take it seriously regardless.
“The funny thing is when I coached tackle football, I had to watch [attendance] much more [than flag football] … I check [athletes’ attendance] anyway, just to make sure, but I never, most of the time, never have to worry about that.”
Teachers across all departments regularly email coaches and enforce deadlines to help student athletes stay on track. For many students, this accountability serves as a lifeline during their toughest weeks of the season.
Abbey added that teachers don’t hesitate to step in when needed. “My first period teacher…I showed up late to class nearly every day at the beginning of the year. And she threatened to email my coach and stuff like that. So I had to, you know, get to school,” Abbey said.
Krouse highlighted how her coaches make a big deal of academics in their daily practice check-ins.
“Every practice, our coach takes out a piece of paper with all the kids who are late to class, and at the end of the week, a list of kids who need to get their grades up and talks to each of us privately,” Krouse said.
No WJ student athlete goes through the same experience throughout their high school career. Some feel motivated by their sport while others feel overwhelmed. Some athletes argue that their teachers and coaches help keep them on track, while others say that schoolwork is pushed aside when practice becomes the first priority.
But one thing is made clear by the GPA data and stories. Student athletes at WJ are working hard on the field and in the classroom.
