tips

3 Tips on Making it to the College Level from a University of Colorado Track Athlete

By Gabby Scott|Updated on June 27, 2023 (originally published on February 11, 2022)

I am an athlete that has played a multitude of sports; for me, track is unique and challenging. I find it to be a mental sport: you must have the mental toughness to participate.

You must train your mind and body to accept a level of physical strife. You have a matter of minutes, sometimes seconds, to deliver. There is no next play or funky statistics to help decipher who played better. It's very cut and dry- who can run the fastest, or jump/throw the farthest on that given day.

A #1 seed can come into nationals and clip a hurdle, creating an upset that no one saw coming. This mental game is what track athletes must master and then re-master every time they get behind the line. So if every track athlet has mastered the mental game, what makes some athletes stand out above others to college coaches?

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Tip One: Practice Cooking and Eating Healthy Meals
The first piece of advice that I would give future recruits is you will have to fuel your body differently at the college level. Drinking water and limiting desserts isn't enough. Not having parents around means you are on your own, and you have to figure out how you're going to get healthy meals and snacks during and around your classes and practices.

I would recommend you practice cooking a few healthy meals before you start college. This means well-balanced meals, including vegetables, protein, fruits, grains, and appropriate amounts of healthy fats.

Tip Two: Get Organized
Academically, I was lucky enough to attend a high school that had a structured plan to help students prepare for college, but many high schools lack such a program. That said, I would recommend that you master your organizational and management skills before you get to college. Every year, I invest in a cute planner, which goes everywhere with me and becomes my mental savior.

Tip 3: Want to Learn
On the track, what has allowed me to be successful is my constant drive and eagerness to learn. I force myself to be a sponge, soaking in all the advice my coaches, teammates, and even competitors give me.

I can relate to wanting to be the best right off the bat and be nationally known, but patience is a virtue. You have to beat the mental game and word every day to become an athlete coaches want to recruit. Everyone hits their peaks at different points. I've found excitement knowing that I am far from my best, far from leaving the legacy that I want to leave at Colorado. But I work very hard to achieve the goals I set for myself.

The University of Colorado-Boulder believed in me when I was an average sprinter coming out of high school. The coaching staff saw my potential that many schools overlooked. My coaches wanted to build with me, and they continue to demand more out of me, even when I think I have exhausted everything. We celebrate accomplishments, but only for a short time, then it's back to the grind to conquer the next goal at hand. That's the beauty of being a collegiate track athlete. That's the beauty of being a Colorado Buffalo.