For the students that attend West High School, sports have been a part of their high school experience. These high school kids must balance the roles of being a student and an athlete. Most students at West High maintain their grades to play in a sport. In order to be eligible a high school sport in the Anchorage School District, it requires a student would have to maintain a GPA to be a 2.0 or higher.

A well-known student athlete that has been attending West for the past three years, Fia Faalata, had the ability to maintain his grades and do well in the sports he’s involved in. Varsity football player Faalata says, “The sports don’t really affect how you do in school because it’s all on the timing. It depends on how well you use your time in school to do work. I just got used to playing sports at the same time all because of how much I utilize my time.”

All though Faalata has to focus on school he wants to achieve more so that he can take care of his family. Faalata says, “I want to do good in school so that when I graduate, I can take care of my family.” Faalata also says that doing both at the same time is fun because you get props from other people and he makes his parents proud.

Varsity volleyball player, Savrina Paul, says, “Family encouraged me to get involved with sports. They motivated me and wanted me to be active because I would have nothing to do.” Other than volleyball, Paul is involved in the West High Poly Club, which is intended to be a cultural meeting of Polyneisan’s to express themselves or by dancing and showing spirit.

Paul says she gets two hours of work before and after practice. By utilizing her time, Paul works on assignments during lunch to get things done on time. Finishing up her work at home affects her time of getting sleep. Paul only gets four to five hours of sleep. But if Paul doesn’t maintain her grades above average, the coach would bench her and would affect her playing time.

All though student athletes have different ways of organizing their time, they all would do anything to be a part of the sports they love. These students have an ambition and are on a great path to success. Students know how to utilize time when it comes to important things such as school. Their work is what makes them a student athlete.