Gabby Starkey played for Dartmouth Women's Lacrosse until her junior year. During her time at Dartmouth, Gabby was an All-American, was frequent at NCAA tournaments, and was named Ms. Dartmouth Lacrosse her freshman year. So why would such a talented athlete step away from her sport? Gabby ultimately made the decision because she felt as though she were missing out on the college experience. She describes her time playing for Dartmouth as intense and as a full time job. This is her breakdown of her daily grind as a college athlete:

5:00-5:30 am 

Gabby would usually start her morning at 5:00 am when she would wake up,  grab something to eat real quick and head down to the recreation center.

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5:30-8:30 am

At 5:30 am Gabby and her team had strength and conditioning, consisting of a warm up followed by a two-hour lift, and finishing with 40 minutes of conditioning.

8:45 am-2:00 pm

Gabby would start her classes early in the morning in order to be finished in time for practice. It was mandatory for the team to plan their class schedule around their practice and game schedule. During this time, Gabby would squeeze in lunch at around 12-1 pm and normally eats during class time.  

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2:30-5:00 pm

Gabby and her team had to be in the training room getting whatever necessary treatment and be ready to go for practice at 2:30 pm.

5:00-7:00 pm

After practice, the team would have a mandatory ice bath and stretch. They had to shower as a team in the locker room and report to team dinner afterwards.

7:00-9:00 pm

 After dinner, Gabby and her team would head to study hall until around 9:00 pm.

9:00-11:00 pm

When Gabby got home from study hall she would unwind and prepare for the next day. Gabby was typically in bed by 11:00 pm and ready to do it all over again tomorrow.

When asked if Gabby had any regrets and if she would do things differently, she responded with “I absolutely love Dartmouth. When it came down to choosing between Duke and Dartmouth, I wanted to choose the best academic school possible. Lacrosse is what got me to Dartmouth, without it I would not have the opportunity to attend this school. I truly feel like I had the best of both worlds by playing for two years and not playing for the other two, I wouldn't trade it for the world.”

The life of a college athlete is hectic, to say the least. Make sure you know what you're signing up for and don't be afraid to walk away if it all becomes too much.

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* Originally published on June 1, 2022, by Madison Machado