Daily Grind columns are posted every Wednesday to provide an introduction into a day in the life of a college athlete and an example of time management skills.
During the swimming season, it can be hard balancing school, extra curriculars, athletics and keeping a social life. The NCAA allows a maximum of 20 hours of sport related activities, and coaches will use every minute of that time leaving it up to the student athlete to manage their time elsewhere.
My name is Kyle Haflich, I am a senior swimming and diving student athlete and a journalism major at Franklin College. This is my daily grind:
In the Thick of it
6:00 a.m-9:00 a.m: Three mornings a week, I have a weights session with my team. We usually start off with some running and then transition to a warm up routine. Afterward, we'll do some swimming specific exercises mixed with either back squats or front squats, cleans, and more.
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After weights, my team and I all file into the dining hall for breakfast. We're lucky if the omelet guy is working, but if not, we'll settle with breakfast sandwiches and some friendly banter. Then, I will usually go back to my room, shower, and get ready for my classes.
9:00 a.m-12:00 p.m: I don't start classes until 10:00 a.m, which is nice because I can choose if I want to take a small nap, which I usually do. At 10:00 is my ethics and professional development class where I learn about different journalistic codes of ethics, and how to network. It is a class with mostly underclassmen, but I am a transfer so I get the honor of taking it.
That class gets out at 10:50, and then I am off to my video journalism class where we're getting to actually go out in the field and work on different aspects of a newsroom. That class ends right before 12:00 and then I am off to lunch!
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12:00 p.m-2:00: At 12:00 p.m: I will go to the dining hall and sit at a big table with my teammates. The dining hall is loud but sometimes we're louder. It's fun to take a mental break and just hang out with my team.
After lunch, I have my final class, which is game coverage. This is a really fun class because all we've done so far is watch sports games and write about them! I am a sports journalism-focused student, so this class will help me a lot in the future.
That class will end at about 2:00 and then I have some free time!
2:00-4:00 p.m: I am lucky enough to get some real free time during the day and it is usually spent with my roommates in our living room where we either play video games, watch something, or just hang out. If we have homework that day then we'll just be doing that in our room, but mostly we just use this time to give ourselves a break before practice.
4:00-6:30 p.m: Our practice is scheduled from 4:00-6:00 p.m but our coach loves to hold us over all the time, so odds are, we're getting out at 6:30.
Our afternoon practices usually have different themes for the day. Monday is usually more aerobic, Tuesday is usually a test set, so we usually know what we're getting into.
6:30-7:30 p.m: After practice, we hit up the dining hall as a team one final time during the day and then we're off on our own.
7:30-11:00 p.m: Depending on what time of the year it is, during this time I will maybe have a Student Athlete Advisory Committee meeting or I will have to monitor study hall hours for our freshman. It can be hectic trying to do things after a day of classes and practice but once you get in a routine, your brain is hardwired to do it easily.
If I don't have any meetings or work, then I will just work on homework!
11:00 p.m-bedtime: I usually start getting ready for bed around 11:00
I try to go to bed early because odds are, I have morning swim practice the next day!
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* Originally published on May 11, 2022, by 2aDays Staff
