More Than An Athlete

Mountaineer Fans and House United family, welcome back to ‘Inside the Rock’, a behind-the-scenes blog on App State Football. For those of you that are new, my name is Trey Schaneville and I am a graduate transfer kicker for your Mountaineers, and I am excited to share my experiences within the App State football program with you. Be sure to subscribe to Houseunitedsports.com to never miss a blog, and to be notified of upcoming promotions and events.

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More Than An Athlete

Disappointing loss last Saturday night in Miami, but we definitely showed that App State football can still compete with the best of the best. Being from just 2 miles up the coast from Miami, I loved being able to make it back home and experience a hard fought game in the Hard Rock Stadium. Despite the loss, our confidence is still high and our sights are now set on Elon. The goal, as always, is to be 1-0 this week.

This blog will take you guys inside the life of a student-athlete and how I am able to manage athletics, school, and my social life in order to get the absolute most out of my experience here at Appalachian State University.

There is a reason we are called ‘student-athletes’ instead of ‘athlete-students’. Our education and academics come first, and it will eventually set us up for long-term success in the future. For myself, It would be easy to just go through the motions and coast by in the classroom, while giving everything I have towards my performance on the field. However, I, along with my teammates, are on a 40 year plan, not a 4 year plan. Whether you are a graduate student like myself, or a freshman in your first semester, we all will have to put at least 20-25 hours a week towards our classes. As a competitor who wants to be the best football player he can be, the idea of setting aside that much time towards something other than football can be frustrating, as that precious time could be put towards improving myself on the field. However, I understand the importance of my academics and know all of this work will eventually pay off.

In general, we all have classes from about 9am to 1pm. But, before and after that, it is all about football. We lift weights early in the morning and then have meetings and practice after our classes. One of the biggest challenges is to stay focused for that long throughout the day, and to be able to flip the switch between athletics and academics. At one hour I could be struggling to understand international marketing and the next I am trying to prepare for a football game in the Hard Rock Stadium. The student-athletes that end up being the most successful on the field and in the classroom are the guys that are able to flip that switch consistently.

Consistency. Probably one of the most important characteristics of becoming a successful student-athlete. It’s easy to show up to class ready to take notes. It’s easy to show up to practice ready to work. It’s easy to get up in the morning and lift weights. But it is not easy to do it consistently, day in and day out. That voice in your head starts to creep in and say things like, “Man, I’m tired of waking up early”, “What’s the point of doing this homework”, “I’ll just take it easy at practice today”. The day you fall victim to that voice is the day things start to slip away from you, both athletically and academically. Staying consistent over the course of a season or semester is not easy, but one of the ways that I stay persistent is by using the “get to” attitude instead of the “have to” attitude. I don’t have to go to practice, I get to go to practice. I don’t have to go to class, I get to go to class. I don’t have to be a student-athlete, I get to be a student-athlete. When I look at things this way, it makes every day and event that much more meaningful.

When our long days that consist of training, classes, and practice are over, we go right home and do our homework and assignments for the night. So, for most of us, our social lives are very limited and basically revolve around football and school. When we do get a day off, it is mostly spent resting, catching up on school work, and giving our bodies time to recover. When possible, we try to get away from our ‘full-time’ jobs as student athletes and spend some time hanging out with friends and family, going out to eat, or anything else that we might like to do in our off-time.

In addition to football, school, and my social life, I also have a Graduate Assistant position in order to help pay for my tuition. So, on top of everything else, I am also working 10 hours per week. One of the biggest things that really helps me is my time management skills, which I have developed throughout my career as a student-athlete. Every Sunday night, I sit down and plan out my week, day by day. I make sure I know exactly when my classes and appointments are, when my practices and meetings are, and when my assignments are due. By doing this, I have a sense of control over each day and will be able to get everything done at a high level.

Being a student-athlete at Appalachian State University helps to build a solid foundation which we can continue to build on throughout our lives in the ‘real world’. Of course, we learn valuable lessons such as teamwork, time management, perseverance, and leadership; but the most important, in my opinion, is learning how to be grateful and have fun despite any obstacles or challenges that we may face.