Name: Sage Morgan
State: Pennsylvania
High School: Lake-Lehman High School
College: Wilkes University

Athletic training and discipline have an extraordinary impact on academic pursuits and overall life goals.

There are many principles learned through sports that are helpful for inside or outside the classroom, while also preparing someone for anything that life might throw at them. Such as dedication, resilience, and time management that could be directly transferred to many areas of life.

Dedication is a quality that athletics teaches individuals to set a goal and work persistently towards achieving them.

For example, if someone wants to learn a new skill or improve on their shots, the best way to accomplish that is through consistency and working hard at accomplishing their goals.

This same dedication can also be spotted in the classroom, such as studying an extra hour and completing projects. The habit of staying on top of things and wanting to be the best there is, and having to attend practice regularly, can lead to a more consistent study routine, leading to an overall better academic performance.

Resilience is developed through overcoming setbacks or challenges. For example, if someone gets injured, the need to get better and come back stronger is visibly present.

This quality translates into the classroom by dealing with not only academic setbacks, but also life setbacks. Like if an athlete doesn’t do too well on an exam, they are not going to think that the world is ending and give up, they will just try harder on the next one.

Athletes learn to handle failure and know how to stay motivated when things start to get challenging and are always aiming towards their goals despite the adversity and obstacles they will face.

The same resilience that is shown athletically and academically is essential for achieving life goals, whether they are personal or career oriented.  

Lastly, time management is crucial when being an athlete, with having to balance training schedules with schoolwork, and sometimes a part-time job schedule.

Athletes learn how to prioritize their tasks and efficiently manage their time; this is a skill that is valuable not only in an academic setting, but also in a professional setting as well later in life.

Having the ability to manage multiple tasks and responsibilities at once, meet deadlines, and be able to get everything done on time is a major skill that can be easily enhanced by doing a sport or any extracurricular activity.

In conclusion, sports give so much more than these three skills. They could give friendships, memories that will last a lifetime, and the opportunity to grow as an individual.

The skills that one develops through sports are life long and not only used on the field. The discipline, resilience, and time management skills gained from athletic training advance a strong work ethic, which all are crucial for many reasons.

Whether that be success in academics, athletics, or in a professional environment and in achieving lifelong goals. So everyone should play a sport at least once in their life to enhance skills that they might not be able to work on anywhere else.

I plan on attending Wilkes University to play field hockey and study nursing to eventually become a nurse practitioner. I chose Wilkes because as soon as I met everyone I felt at home.

I love how supportive the coaches are and how welcoming they are. These skills will definitely be put into action throughout my college experience.

This post was written by Sage Morgan. She is participating in the 2025 Dr. Judith Benscoter Female Athlete Scholarship contest. You may also vote for her video on our Instagram account @female_athlete_news

The scholarship winner will be determined by most votes (likes) on their Instagram video and the most votes cast on the candidate’s essay writing.

Voting runs from March 13-16. Winners will be announced March 17.