Courtney, currently a featured athlete on the Rhodes Lynx athletic homepage, plays for the Rhodes Lynx softball team, and her talent on the field has led the team to many victories in the previous season. Being able to juggle a rigorous sport such as softball, and manage to keep up in school is an arduous feat for any college student. However, Courtney is able to balance school and sports: “Being a student-athlete is hard at times, but I wouldn’t want my college experience any other way. I actually manage my time better in-season, because I know that I only have a certain block of time to get school work done. It’s near impossible to get work done on bus trips, because as a team, we have a small obsession with Friday Night Lights, and that takes precedence.”
Balancing academic, social, and athletic commitments is difficult for Rhodes athletes, which they assume from week 1. During the fall, the softball team engages in field practice four days a week, and does weight training three times a week. Now that they are off season, they have the same weight training three times a week, but have speed workouts once a week to substitute for field practice.
In addition to playing softball, Courtney busies herself with other responsibilities: “I’m an officer in Relay for Life, active in BCM, and I’m a building manager in the BCLC. But mostly, I love just being with my friends. Last year went by so quickly, I just want to enjoy the time I have here with the people I love most.” Nevertheless, Courtney takes pride in her involvement on the Rhodes softball team and was honored to be named featured student athlete. She also enjoys the companionship of her teammates and describes her team as very hard working, but she still likes to have fun. “The Rhodes softball team is hard-working, dedicated and fun,” Courtney says, “We love that we get to play college softball, and we understand that not many girls do, so we try to make the most of our time together. We’re all about having a good time. We’re borderline ridiculous at times, but I like to think its efficient ridiculousness.”