Imagine yourself, if you can, strapping up a helmet before the big game,
stretching your legs out before the 600 meter rely, or taking a few warm up
swings before you step up into the batter’s box. There are probably a lot of
things going through that stubborn head of yours. Now imagine those same things
with the thought of having to think of how you will make time to study for the
big biology exam the following day. All right now you can quit imagining things.
Thousands of student athletes have to deal with this day in and day out. I am
just a regular college student here at Appalachian, but if things would have
gone differently I would have had a place on the sideline in Carter Finely
Stadium. That gave me a flaming desire to find out how much harder it is to
study, have a social life, be an athlete, and be successful at all three. I
interviewed someone whom I call a good friend, Arron Dobbings from Nebraska. He
will be the starting full back for the Mountaineers in the up coming season. I
want to find out precisely how much more difficult it is to be a successful
college athlete, in comparison to being a regular college student like myself.
During the planning stages of this interview, I was having thoughts of long bus
rides to and from the sporting events, long rigorous practices, and obscene
amounts of make up work to finish when you get home. I started to tell myself
that I could probably go right ahead and write this paper without taking any
valuable time out of my schedule to do the interview. As soon as that thought
crossed through the mounded up cob webs in my forsaken mind, a saying that my
dad preached to me came following behind, If some thing is not worth doing
right, it is not worth doing at all. I am sure everyone has heard that one.
Guess what? I picked up the phone and called Arron. We decided to meet at a
well-known hub here in Boone called Mackadoo’s at six o’clock on the
following Monday. Right after we ordered our dinner I went ahead and started
asking the questions that I thought would give me the answers that I was looking
for. Why else would I have set up this interview? My first questions were
getting to know you questions or “Ice Breaker” if you will. I asked Arron,
“Is Appalachian the first institution that you have attended?” With that one
little question I found out that my interviewee had attended a small college in
Nebraska called Dana. His one year there was the worst one year of his life it
seemed. If he had it his way he would never go anywhere close to that little
institution again. He went ahead and answered a few of the follow up questions
that I had, without me even asking them, such as telling me that he started his
football college career at Dana and that Dana is a Christian-based college that
really doesn’t care about sports, just books. After that one fallen from favor
year at Dana he transferred to Appalachian. At the close of this drawn-out
semester he will have completed his first year here, and he will be craving for
the next to begin. Next, I wanted to find out what kinds of restraints are
placed on a college athlete’s social life. Arron was pretty eager to tell me
about this, as if he wanted me to ask him about it. He started by telling me,
”You should know that; I always am telling you; No, I have to get up early in
the morning, or I can’t go eat dinner, I have film session at 5:00.” He
began to show me through his own words how much less time he has to devote to
his friends because of his commitment to the title “College Athlete”. As we
moved on through the interview I now wanted to find out about the hindrances on
his studies. Arron is majoring in criminal justice, and let me tell you, with
this man's stature, I would not want to mess with him in a dark alley when he is
angry. When I asked him, “How do you balance your time between your workouts
and studies?” His answer to me was, “Time management plays a key role. I
make time before I go to bed to write out all I have to do from the next day in
my daily planner.” To tell the truth that is something we should all do
anyhow. He went on telling me that on some days he has to grab an individual
pizza from Stone Willies and eat it on the way to his next class, or film
session. The late evening hours are the only time he has to study. Yet, it is
hard for him to get motivated to hit the books. That mainly comes from persons
like me who have time during the day to get all of my homework and studies
finished. Then we call him asking if he wants to go knock a couple down. I
don’t know about you, but I can not sit and read seven chapters in a World
Civilization textbook knowing that my friends are out having fun without me,
what about you? Arron went on by telling me his technique of solving his
problem. “After one of those types of phone calls, I can only reach in to my
freezer and pour me a tall glass of JD and some Sprite.” That would probably
ease my mind somewhat. Proceeding on down my questionnaire I asked Arron,
“What comes first with you, ball or school?” Arron Said, “Last year I
would have to say my football play was without a doubt most important but now
with some of the injuries I have encountered I can see no future for me in the
game, so I want to do well in my schooling.” He goes on saying how he wanted
to be someone, some one big. That brought back some of my recollection of those
same dreams I used to have. I was stunned for quite a while; all I could do was
sit watch him eat his chicken sandwich and munch on his fries. The past can
really hurt some times, and this time it was like getting pounded with the butt
end of a claw hammer in the chest. With each blow the retraction pulling the
heart out of my chest. When Arron asked, “Is that all,” it woke me from my
trance. I was ready to leave, like an injured dog I was ready to run away to
lick my wounds. So I skipped three of my questions to the last two, two that I
wanted answers to. One was if you could change anything about being a student
athlete, what would it be? Arron started by saying, “That is a good
question.” Then following it up with this, “If there was any thing to be
changed it would have to be the load of pressure that is placed on us. As a
student, but most of all to the coach’s aspect, as a FOOTBALL PLAYER.” My
last question for Arron was, “In your eyes by watching me and knowing my
activities how much harder is it to be really successful in your studies and
ball play, compared to a regular student?” Being that funnyman that he is he
started by stating, “Compared to you it is a hell of a lot harder.” Then
going on to say, “In all honesty, it is a lot harder. As you even said
earlier, a regular student has that extra time during the day to study, do home
work, and all of that other good stuff. I don’t: I have to be up at the crack
of dawn and I usually don’t make it back to the room till dusk.” With that
my interview was complete. I had a lot of emotions going through me on my solo
walk back to my dorm. One, how in the hell am I to write this paper, and two how
much I would give to be in his shoes. Considering the discipline that he has to
give to himself to make sure all of his work is done, and that he does well in
all his classes, I can’t help butt of believe that he may leave here a better
man than I. I know that he will be successful in what ever he decides to do,
that is just his way. There again I do my best at all that I do, and I see that
success can be measured in many different ways. Yes, there is probably more
pressure and stress placed on him, than I have on me. In many accounts I am glad
I had some misfortune in my early life, that prevented me from continuing my
career as a football player. Now I can immolate all of my time to my college
education and to my friends. As for Arron, may the force be with you “man”.