Opinion | Spring Break is different for college athletes
As seen in volume 113, issue 10 of The Collegian
As many students at Bethel College look forward to going home or enjoying some time off over spring break, some student-athletes look forward to games, matches, and tournaments. There are a couple of sports teams that stay on campus in order to participate in these games and lose out on an opportunity to go home. For example, the Bethel College golf team, of which I am a member, is taking a trip down to Dallas, Texas, so that we can play in two different tournaments. While this is a great opportunity to go to a different state and play, it also hinders athletes’ ability to go home and see family over the break. Seeing that most of the students that attend Bethel College are student-athletes, this presents a very relevant problem.
Some teams, unfortunately, cannot avoid the fact that they have to play games over the break. This creates a unique situation that athletes in fall sports don’t have to face. Athletes are able to stay in the dorms over break, or if they have to travel, they spend their break on the road and at a different place. For many athletes, the choice to not go home is pretty easy to make based on their love for their respective sports. Most teams play in the middle of the break or towards the beginning, so it is possible for athletes to both play and go home. Unfortunately though, for some, it’s just not possible due to the distance they would have to travel home.
For athletes, this is a problem because spring break might be the only period of time off from school where they can go visit family. This creates a conflict between them and their sport that is sometimes overlooked when scheduling games. This conflict is important because teams like tennis and softball play important games and matches over break, where it is vital for their players to stay and play.
As a student-athlete myself, with things going on over break, I honestly don’t mind. It would be nice, though, to get to go home. I think that it is a great opportunity to get a week off from school and focus solely on sports. It is important to remember, though, that in the spring semester, it is hard to find time to see family, especially if you have to travel a long way to go home. In both my years at Bethel College, my spring breaks have consisted of golf tournaments. It’s honestly not the worst way to spend the break but I would also love to go home to see my family and of course my dog.