Opinion

Opinion Roundup: The decision between student athletes or athlete students

Sebastian Koniarz, Aryan Sheikh, and Aarav Singh • January 29, 2026

Being a student athlete at any school requires a tremendous amount of discipline, commitment, and hard work. Balancing academic obligations alongside endless training, competitions, and games is challenging. However, according to our student athletes, it’s a rewarding experience that builds essential skills such as time management, teamwork, and resilience. Nonetheless, it’s a difficult task to manage both roles, and to decide which one to prioritize.

The Classic interviewed students on PSAL teams, and coaches regarding what they think it takes to be a student athlete, and how sports affects their academic study.

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“I believe that being a student athlete definitely requires a fair time commitment. There is an increase in pressure in terms of workload, [but] I do believe that it’ll help in the long run; PSAL sports helped me stay in shape and build discipline along with time management skills. Badminton tryouts were on the very first week of freshman year, so I was launched into the whole experience. There wasn’t an acclimation period for me, and I just had to get used to it. In my experience, my grades definitely suffered slightly because of my inexperience in a high school environment. I think that I was able to eventually adapt.”

— Sophomore Austin Yang

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“I think that being a student athlete takes time away from your academics only if you don’t manage and balance your schedule well, but overall, it benefits you in the long run. Being a student athlete requires responsibility and the ability to adapt to whatever comes your way. This balance forces you to develop time-management skills, discipline, the ability to perform under pressure, and other skills that translate directly into academic success and future opportunities. A student should try out for sports when they are ready to take on a new challenge, as being a student athlete requires a lot of work, time, and effort. In this case, I think that starting [a sport] early in freshman year teaches you this [set of skills], among other things, that helps you grow as a person. It also exposes you to an environment that you may or may not be used to.”

— Junior Morgan Ma

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“I believe that being a student-athlete does take time away from academics, but that is something you understand and accept when you commit to a sport. Despite this challenge, it benefits you in the long run by improving your health, creating college opportunities, and helping develop a strong social life. I balance my academic and athletic life by fully committing to my responsibilities in both areas. I consistently attend practices and games because they are part of my duty as an athlete, while also making sure I stay ahead on my assignments. On weekends or during any free time, I take advantage of those opportunities to complete my work and keep my academics on track.”

— Senior Zead Husain

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About the Contributors

Aryan Sheikh, Opinion Staff

Aryan is a freshman, and he would like to pursue a career in the medical field, but doesn’t know specifically what kind of doctor he wants to be. When he’s not working, Aryan likes to play the piano or badminton. His favorite Classic piece he has worked on is the opinion roundup on why students from the class of 2029 and new staff chose to come to THHS. His favorite Classic piece that was made by others was an episode of ADMITTED: “Alum Ramon Rodriguez shares his journey to being accepted into Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education.”

Tabassum Ahmed, Photography Editor

Tabassum Ahmed is a junior at Townsend Harris High School. She aspires to pursue a career in sonography or pediatric health. In her free time, you can find her on the track leading her team as captain or listening to all kinds of music (mainly Malcolm Todd). Tabassum has always had a passion for photography being able to capture moments, tell stories, and express emotions without words. Her favorite Classic piece she has worked on has been creating and taking photos for FON 2025. In general, she always loves watching the College Videos for the seniors at the end of the school year.

Ryan Chen, Editor-in-Chief

Ryan is a junior at Townsend Harris High School, and he plans to pursue a career in business/finance. He enjoys taking photos but wants to improve at “making” photos. His favorite Classic project he worked on is the 2025 FON Saturday night live stream. He will forever remember the moment the song “Dynamite” started playing during the intro segment. After technical difficulties on Friday night, hearing that intro song and knowing that things were working came as a huge relief. His favorite Classic piece created by others is the video “High School Teachers Define Gen Z Slang.” He genuinely didn’t know half of the terms going into the video, and it helped him understand conversations during high school.