Being a multi-sport athlete isn’t easy; there are highs and lows. Stella Schmidt and Pria Link are two of the many Lincoln Middle School athletes who face struggles similar to those of Olympians who play multiple sports.
Stella Schmidt is a multi-sport athlete at Lincoln Middle School. She plays basketball and volleyball at Lincoln. She likes being a multi-sport athlete because she enjoys staying busy and is hardly ever bored. Stella continues to push through even when it gets hard because you can have fun, but it takes a certain group of people to be able to handle being a multi-sport athlete. From homework to having no free time, it takes a certain person. She thinks “the hardest part of being a multi-sport athlete is switching between seasons.” In conclusion, Stella likes being a multi-sport athlete and continues to push through the struggles even when things get hard.
Pria Link is a multi-sport athlete at Lincoln Middle School. She plays tennis and track; she also participates in Unified Dance and Track. In addition to that, she helps coach Unified Gymnastics. Recognition and feeling good about herself are the reasons Pria continues to push through even when it gets hard. She says, “Not having a ton of time to hang out with my friends, especially in the summer, actually making the plans.” On the contrary, the best part in Pria’s eyes is learning all the life lessons that her coaches teach her.
Clara Hughes, Olympian, is a multisport athlete. She does speed skating and road cycling; she is the only Olympian who has won Olympic medals in more than one sport. She has struggled with several things including her mental health, an ankle ailment called Retrocalcaneal Bursitis. She also was hit with a car a week before the world championship but still competed in the time trial and placed 7th. She states “I had some experience in dealing with people who have mental illness and depression, but I didn’t see the signs in myself. I couldn’t ask for help because I didn’t know I needed help.” Overall, being a multi-sport athlete is equally difficult and rewarding. People like Pria, Stella, and Clara show how it is possible to balance all aspects of life.
