Twelve-season athletes balance time between academics, athletics, and friends

A 12-season athlete is a senior who has participated in 12 seasons of sports. This is a high honor for the seniors, and they will receive an award for being a 12-season athlete. The “12 seasons” could be spread evenly throughout their four years, or a person could participate in multiple sports for one season. Twelve-season athletes have to learn to balance their time between maintaining good grades and performing well in their sport.

“For the fall of my senior year, I did golf and cheer during the same season,” said senior Grace Merki. “It was a hot mess, but I was able to manage my time and be successful in both sports.”
North has a wide variety of sports that people can participate in. From girls wrestling to boys basketball, girls golf to boys cross country, each sport offers a different environment for the students.

“I have participated in tennis for four years and bowling for four years,” said senior Lucas Adams.

“And I have football for freshman and sophomore year, and cross country for junior and senior year.”

This year, there were three 12-season athletes: Lucas Adams, Lily Balentine, and Makayla Campbell. In addition, there were three 13-season athletes: Jordan Churchill, Grace Merki, and Jeana Roscoe. These athletes have participated in a sport for every season at North, all the way from freshman to senior year.

“My favorite sport to play at North was basketball because I just love the sport,” said senior Grace Merki. “I have so many friends from it, and basketball at North is the reason I am able to play in college next year.”

Balancing time between spending time with friends, doing school work, and improving skills for a sport can be challenging for a lot of people; however, there are several ways to manage one’s time wisely. For example, doing classwork when it’s assigned or whenever there is time in class to work.

“I managed my time by doing my work when I had time in class and free periods. Working ahead also helped me with my homework,” said senior Makayla Campbell.

It takes a lot of effort for a student to continue to show up and participate in sports for every season. Sometimes, this may not be easy, but one has to summon the motivation to keep on going. It is a test of patience, strength, and perseverance.

“Cheer is pretty much the only sport that I continued for the four years,” Merki said. “I just really loved the program, the coaching, and all the teammates on the team. We really created a bond that’s like a family.“

High school students manage several different things throughout the days, weeks, and months. Motivation in sports, classes, or activities can be hard for several students to achieve; however, there’s always something to look forward to, whether that is college, or working, or just time to yourself after graduation.

“Knowing the end goal in mind was what kept me going. A lot of my aspirations after high school require a certain drive and discipline that needs to be put in 24/7 to be successful, and so I knew that pushing myself this hard in high school would prepare me well for that in life,” Adams said.