Some athletes will never want to give up the feeling of slipping on a jersey with “Bruins” embroidered on the front, but others believe participating in all three sports seasons can become overwhelming. A few have decided to let go of that thrill in order to shift their focus toward academics.

Junior Cydney Leigh Ventura was previously a three-season athlete, but she cut down on her sports participation to only volleyball because she wants to prioritize college.

“With sports, running clubs, doing city council, and also with AP and STEM, I think that would look good on the transcript and make me stand out to colleges,” Ventura said.

During her long game days, Ventura had less time to complete her homework, causing her to stay on campus and go to bed later than she preferred.

“Because of basketball, I would be stuck at school for over 12 hours,” Ventura said.

Ventura’s tiring schedule forced her to go to bed at two or three in the morning.

“Right now, I’m taking four APs,” Ventura said. “Juggling APs with sports, it’s like we have work on top of work.”

Ventura often found herself exhausted from the workload and sought naps as a time to re-fuel.

“Even during school or before practice, it (a nap) helps re-energize your body so that you’re not tired,” Ventura said.

Senior Logan Morris is a current three-season athlete who is feeling the stress from balancing college applications, homework and sports.

“It is definitely difficult. It requires a lot of time management,” Morris said. “I will find myself feeling like I have to plan out my day.”

Morris chooses to play sports during all three seasons because she enjoys them all and they are unique in their own way, but sees her future in soccer.

“Soccer is something that I have played for a while, and I want to continue playing in college, hopefully,” Morris said.

Senior Alison Aochi is another three-season athlete who finds balancing school and sports difficult. She also utilizes specific time management skills to make sure that she can complete her homework and spend the hours she wants playing basketball in the gym.

“I look forward to playing in basketball practices and games, and I always want to spend time in the gym for my sports,” Aochi said. “That is definitely a motivating factor for getting my homework done.”

When school gets stressful for Aochi, basketball is an outlet for her. Shooting around allows her to relax and distress.

“I love basketball and just even going to the park for an hour. That’s kind of calming to me in my own way,” Aochi said.

Ventura, Morris and Aochi all consider their sports as the best way to relieve stress.

“When I am at practice, I can just focus on playing,” Morris said. “It’s a good environment. I get to just relax and not have to deal with anything else in my life.”