A day in the life of lacrosse player Sara Allison

The typical day of an athlete is a lot more demanding than most think. Since Muhlenberg is a Division III school, many don’t see the true commitment student athletes give to their sports. I hope one receives a better understanding of what it takes to be an athlete on campus and what it takes to be a part of the teamt hrough my interview of Sara Allison, the starting goalie for the women’s varsity lacrosse team.

To start the interview, I asked Allison what a typical day is like during the lacrosse season, “Being in season is all about time management. I feel like I’m constantly running around trying to make it from lift to class to practice on time.” Student athletes are always on the move and, more frequently than not, Allison is running around in her practice gear even during the day.

Every morning before she leaves for class, she packs both her backpack and lacrosse bag for practice. She leaves her house at around eight in the morning and doesn’t get back to her room until eight at night. “A typical practice lasts about two or two and a half hours consisting of drills, scrimmages, and running. Once practice is over we go back to the locker room to defrost and change for lift.” The women’s lacrosse team typically lift and condition three times a week. Having both practice and lift takes a lot of out of the players after a long day of working out for about three and a half hours.

Allison added, “once practice is over we head to either the dining hall or GQ for dinner and social hour. We decompress from the long day before we all go our separate ways. Most girls study in the light lounge or library for a few hours after practice. Finally once all our energy runs out we head home for the night, awaiting the repeat schedule.” This hectic day comes natural to the women lacrosse players, as they have to endure it for about 120 days, including their preseason and regular season.

For many athletes, game days may be the best or worst days for them. Many experience a lot of stress up until the first whistle is blown, making it hard for them to concentrate on anything else prior to the game. Those who have classes on Wednesdays, which is the typical game day, may not be able to focus on class work or anything else. Allison goes into detail about what a typical game day consists of: “On game day things run a little differently. Depending whether our game is home or away there are a few traditions we follow. On home game days we meet in the locker room at least an hour and a half before the game. We change into our uniforms and do our pump-up rituals. Whether we win or lose, after each game we take a cool down lap around the field and then we head back to the locker room to debrief.” The typical game day takes a lot more time out of your day than just the two-hour game you’re actually playing in. The time spent preparing, playing and debriefing for games consists of at least four hours. For most athletes at Muhlenberg, Wednesdays and Saturdays consist of games and the time spent to play in them. During the season Allison claims once again “it takes a lot of time management and late nights to get all my homework done.” Allison is majoring in media and communications, with a double minor in English and art. She states, “A lot of my homework is writing intensive because of my major and minors. It really is about planning outlines and making my homework assignments into a process, not a last minute obligation.” Planning out her work and time around her practice and game schedule is vital for getting her work done on time. After asking Allison the type of commitment the off-season is she responded with this: “There really is no ‘off-season’ as a college athlete. Even though Division III might come with the assumption of being less time and work as the other divisions we still commit countless hours to our athletics. We still have a lifting and conditioning schedule for the four months were not in season and fall ball practices for six of those weeks.” Not only do these athletes devote their time to these restricted schedules, but also they have to commit several hours to develop stick skills throughout the week on their own time. Allison explains, “Before season starts the upperclassman are always looking to hold optional pick up games. A lot of the work we put into our sport is self-motivated in the time out of season, but each player is held accountable for their actions by teammates.” On campus, some athletes are portrayed in a different light then other students. “I’ve experienced both the good and bad of being recognized as a female athlete,” said Allison. “There is definitely a stigma associated with the label of an athlete but I see it as an honor.” Allison sees herself and other athletes as the face of Muhlenberg; the athletes are there to represent Muhlenberg to other universities that they travel to. “Student athletes offer a lot more to the Muhlenberg community than just an extra curricular activity and competition. We offer a smaller community within the Muhlenberg community. We offer companionship and entertainment. We offer a reason for perspective students to consider Muhlenberg as a potential home for them. We dedicate countless hours to practicing and playing for the love of the game, hoping future students will follow in our paths.” Allison loves her team and would do anything for them; she sacrifices herself while always taking shots to her body constantly throughout practices and games. She is wiling to devote those countless hours for her team in order to have successful seasons.