Remember when playing a sport for your school used to be so simple? Two hours of practice after school, then playing maybe two or three games a week. Outside of those hours, you were free to be a kid. The sport you played was just a part of your life, not your whole life. For those with enough ability to reach the collegiate level, a whole new world comes into view.

Practice is just the beginning. Early morning team runs, agility training sessions between classes and game film studying sessions are often new concepts to incoming freshman athletes. In addition, you can’t forget the hours upon hours of study hall to top it all off.

“Running track takes up about 60 to 70 percent of my time,” said Frank Higginbothom, a junior on the track and cross country team.

The transition from high school to college athletics is one that many student athletes find difficulties facing.

“You have all your days scheduled for you. Everything is so planned,” said freshman soccer player Daniela D’Oria.

Is such a large time commitment necessary? Once an athlete reaches college, he or she is now competing against the most elite athletes in the country, not just neighborhood kids who play for recreation.

“In high school, I was winning a lot. Here, you’re just a face in the crowd,” Higginbotham said.

“The college game is 10 times faster and more aggressive. We need to practice a lot so we can compete,” said D’Oria.

Unlike high school, the college game is a money-making business. The amount of money invested in college athletics puts much more pressure on players and coaches alike.

Suddenly, losing is unacceptable, so coaches will devote as much time as they can to working with their teams trying to find a way to win.

“In college, you almost always feel like you have to prove yourself,” D’Oria said.

Despite the massive adjustment necessary to play a sport in college, most athletes will agree that the sacrifice is well worth it.

“It’s rewarding to be considered a good enough athlete to be playing in college,” Higginbotham said.

“If you love the game, you should always want to be playing all the time. You should always want to get better,” said D’Oria.