Being an in-season college athlete requires a lot of time management: typically, one day during the school week is dedicated to games, several more to practice, and every weekday is a school day (plus homework!). There's plenty of planning involved which is why Sarah Doyle, a senior on the Belmont University women's soccer team, has created an agenda for herself to help her be successful both on and off the field. I sat down with Doyle and discussed what one of her typical in-season weekdays looks like. 

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5 AM: Wake up and get ready for practice 

Doyle wakes up and gets ready for practice nice and early. On days where Doyle doesn't have practice super early, she will typically wake up around 7:15 AM to get ready for class. 

6 AM-8 AM:  Practice 

Sarah spends the first few hours of her morning at practice, getting better on the field, and getting prepared for the week of games ahead. 

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8:15 AM-2 PM: Class, Shower, Eat 

Directly following practice, Doyle will shower, eat breakfast and then head over to campus for her first class of the day. Between classes, she will do homework, get a snack and catch up on what she has to do during the week. After her second class, she will go to the cafeteria to grab lunch before heading back to her apartment. 

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3 PM-4 PM: Tutoring  

Between 3 PM and 4 PM, Doyle will spend her time tutoring a kindergartener in reading. This is a requirement of one of her classes but also counts as Convocation hours, a graduation requirement at Belmont University. 

4:15-5 PM: Weights 

Sarah finishes off her training for the day with team weights in the evening. Weights is not an everyday occurrence but in place of weights, Sarah will do recovery in the athletic training room. 

5 PM-10 PM: Unwind, do homework and get ready for bed 

After a long day of class and soccer, Doyle will get dinner and then return to her apartment for the night. During this time, she will do homework, hang out with her roommates and watch TV. After having a busy day, it's important for Doyle to have time to unwind and relax her mind.  

10:30 PM: Bedtime

One of the most important parts of being an athlete and recovering well is getting in a quality amount of sleep. Without getting a goodnight's rest, Doyle would be sluggish and unable to perform at a high level on the field and in the classroom everyday. 

What's a day in your life like? Share your Daily Grind at [email protected]

* Originally published on October 5, 2022, by Andrea Leitner