College life is filled with unexpected turns, and figuring out life on your own. For me, high school was the busiest time of my life.
From waking up at 6 a.m. for skating practice before school and then finally getting home past dinner time, just in time to get in some homework before bed — life meant always being on the move and being highly focused all day.
For me, my transition to college was also a transition out of my sport — figure skating. I was used to training as much as six hours a day, focused on being the best skater that I could be. But then it came time to move on to college and life outside of the rink.
The transition into college isn’t easy for everyone, but former high school athletes can become even more lost with the busy life that they are used to becoming dramatically changed.
Going to college means being in charge of your schedule. That meant no more 6 a.m. wake-up calls and late-night practices. I suddenly had more time on my hands, and I didn’t know what to do with it.
I was left with so many questions: Do I join a club or get a job outside of school? Should I continue skating in college? Do I even like competing and skating enough to continue?
After joining random club after club, I realized that I am not quite ready to give up skating and being an athlete. The only thing I knew for sure was I couldn’t keep up with the hours of training that came with being an elite figure skater.
Then came club sports. After joining the Boston University Figure Skating Team, I was able to get the best of both worlds: college life and skating. I have been able to continue skating with a group of people who share the same love of the sport.
Just because your life as an athlete in high school has ended doesn’t mean that you can’t continue in college. There are so many different avenues outside of what I have found in club sports in college too.
The first place to begin is at your college gym. In high school, my days were filled with exercise. By the end of the week I was crawling home because of all the miles run in the week and all of the hours on the ice. Make sure to block out some time dedicated to the gym. It will clear your head and give you that comfort that you need.
After spending some time in the gym alone, I started to miss all of my training friends and our workouts together. I started losing motivation to go to the gym because I was bored doing the same workouts over and over again.
But then I found a BU fitness group: CHAARG. It’s a fitness group on many campuses around the country and focuses on bringing girls together to build a fitness community. Through the club, I was able to meet some of my best friends who were also looking for a fitness community. I was feeling lost without my skating friends from home, but CHAARG brought me that comfort again.
My sport defined me in high school with so many hours spent at the rink and the gym. Because of that, working out has become an outlet for me where I can just focus on one thing and give my brain a break from all that comes with life at college. Through club sports and different fitness groups on campus, I have found the perfect balance.
