Redwood Athletes share their thoughts on how they balance academics with athletics and excell as student-athletes.
By: Emma Jenan
Redwood High School’s athletic program has been the pride of the valley for decades; a legacy that is only growing more and more impressive. 23 varsity sports. Over 800 athletes. 800 individuals who are balancing their education while attempting to continue to build their sports legacy. Here are some of their thoughts on how they thrive as student-athletes.
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Luke Sanchez, ’26, is the starting quarterback for the Redwood Varsity football team. Sanchez was on Varsity last year and hopes to continue his improvement in the two seasons he has left at Redwood.
Balancing school and sports is hard, especially when your sport is in season. Sanchez explains, “It’s very difficult. When I get home from practice all I want to do is lay in bed, but I know I need to keep my grades up so I can get into a good college.” He continues, “I try to stay on a schedule throughout the day and I make sure to always have time for my academics.”
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Attempting to excel at your sport is stressful for anyone, but the pressure is definitely elevated when the entire school is watching on a Friday night. Sanchez explains that, “There is definitely a lot of pressure especially when we are in season, but I think pressure is good; it makes me work harder.”
Payton Short, ’25, is a member of the Redwood volleyball team as well as a Varsity captain for the 24-25 season. Short shares the same mentality as Sanchez in regards to the struggle of balancing academics with athletics. She says, “I try to balance school with sports by getting all of my work done during school hours, even then time management is definitely a struggle.”
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Short feels that there is a high level of pressure and expectation, especially in her senior season. She says, “I definitely do feel pressure, Redwood athletics holds a very high standard.” She goes on to say, “I cope with the pressure by just trying my best and constantly reminding myself that it’s ok to make mistakes.”
Kelan Anderson, ’25, is a member of the Varsity Water Polo team. Anderson feels that, “Time management is key to balancing practices and homework, especially with AP courses.” Anderson constantly has a full plate due to the fact that he is playing for Redwood as well as a club team.
Anderson continues, “It’s my senior year, I really want to go all out. That being said I do put a certain amount of pressure on myself, it is definitely hard to accept when I mess up.” Anderson feels that a positive outlook though on every game is beneficial to balancing the pressure. “Being surrounded by good teammates makes the entire experience so much better.”
Emma Jenan
Emma Jenan is a '25 second year journalism member of the Redwood Gigantea. She is interested in writing any article, but sports stories are her favorite. Emma is a part of the redwood tennis team, and is a varsity member. You can reach her by email:
emma.je8807@vusd.us
Tags: #football, #redwood, #rhs, #sports, #volleyball, #waterpolo, rangers, redwood gigantea, redwood high school, redwood rangers, redwood sports, rhs, visalia ca