Daily Grind articles are posted every Wednesday to provide a look into a day in the life of a college athlete and to give an example of time management skills.
Taking us inside the life of an Esport athlete, Illinois Wesleyan University junior Parker Penn attests to the rigors of balancing a 40-hour school week with gaming.
On a daily basis, Parker can be found leading his Valorant Team during their late night practices, handling IWU's Esports social media, attending class, and expanding his skill set at the on-campus Esports facility. Here's a breakdown of his daily grind.
Related: Rate Illinois Wesleyan University
9:00 am – Wake Up and Breakfast
As a natural morning person, Parker gets up out of bed an hour before class. With just enough time to shower and eat breakfast, Parker will head to campus and arrive just in time for his 10:00 am class.
10:00 am – 2:00 pm – Class Time
Prefering to keep his afternoons free, Parker schedules his classes back-to-back as early as he can in the morning. The Computer Science major and Product Design minor enjoys moving from class to class.
2:00 pm – 5:00 pm – Facility Training
When classes are over, it is time to head over to Illinois Wesleyan's nationally recognized Esports facility. Open from 10am-2am everyday, the facility offers a space for Esports athletes and students not affiliated with the program to meet people and play games. Parker usually spends approximately three hours a day working to improve his skill set.
5:00 pm – 6:00 pm – Study Hall
While freshmen on the IWU Esports team are required to attend five study hours a week, Parker oftentimes will go to the designated study room when he needs to hunker down and get school work done.
6:00 pm – 7:00 pm – Dinner
Parker enjoys some time with friends during his dinner hour. If left with some free time, Parker will check the IWU Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and twitter accounts he runs for the team.
Related: Daily Grind of a Michigan Esports Athlete, Dalton Noftsger
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm – Practice
Since Valorant is a five player game, Parker's team has a late practice time due to their variant schedules. His young team primarily focuses on communication, teamwork, and trying to learn new strategies. The goal of each practice session is to elevate the skill gap of the team. As Parker describes “there's a competitive scene for every video game–even Mario Kart, it's just the skill gap of the regular people who buy the game and play it and those who put in the time.” The team frequently performs VAAD reviews and studies their scrimmages to discuss how to continue raising their skill level.
10:30 pm – 1:00am – Homework, Relax, and Sleep
With no more tasks scheduled for the day, Parker will wrap up any homework he needs to complete. Before going to bed, Parker will spend some time unwinding with his friends. Around 1:00 am, after a full day of school and gaming, Parker will go to sleep.
Image Credit: IWU News & Events
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* Originally published on August 3, 2022, by Chloe Singer
