When you’re at such an academically rigorous school like UChicago, it’s hard to imagine a life outside of the Reg. However, there are plenty of students who have been able to pursue a passion outside of academia at this university: varsity athletes. They make up 7% of UChicago’s student body, but are they really the frat-loving jocks you think they are? As a Varsity Athlete myself, I’ll give you the lowdown on what it’s like to be an athlete where “fun goes to die.”
We don’t live a glamorous life of pampering and privilege. Our wardrobes are dominated by sweats, jerseys, and other UChicago gear, and we still eat the same dining hall food, take tough classes, and well, study. A lot. Ah, and how can I forget morning practices? Waking up at 5:30AM in the winter is rough, trust me.
And quite contrary to popular belief, we’re a pretty smart bunch! One of my teammates is taking Honors Calc, and as a team, we each strive to have GPAs above a 3.6. And yeah, yeah, there are a few of us who don’t always exude intelligence, but if you think about it, you kind of have to be smart to be at UChicago.
We’re under a lot of pressure both on the field and in our classes, but that’s why we’re athletes; we thrive under pressure and love to work hard and play hard. Especially play hard… ;) But rest assured, we know how to balance the fun (and find it!) with our other responsibilities. In fact, I’m pretty sure our time management skills are the best you’ll ever find. We study, pig out on Bartlett’s pizzas, go out, and get enough sleep to practice and compete well.
However, there are some stereotypes about us that hold true. We do form our own cliques and cults and a disproportionate amount of us live in Max. I’ll also admit that we sometimes inflate our own egos and think we’re really cool (we really are though), but that’s just because we’re so proud to fight for our NCAA titles.
Being an athlete at UChicago can be demanding, but it is so rewarding to represent the university and have an outlet for the stress that we all know too well. And with that, it’s time to bleed maroon!