By: Tomi Simmons
At Mcpherson College, students make the bold decision to balance both sports and academics. Many choose one focus, while there are the select few that go above and beyond. Women’s basketball captain, Brooke Racette, is one of the select few in this. She has done Javelin in track and field and women’s basketball all of her three years at McPherson College.
Double sporting does not come without pressure though. Racette has said, “the pressure from going to basketball to track is maintaining a balance and making sure that my skills from one sport to the other is not lost. I want to continue to get better at both, and so making sure that I put in time for both outside of practice is the biggest pressure.” Nevertheless she persists because of her love of sports.
Deciding to do both sports is a task but it does not come without reward and a great amount of passion. Brooke stated, “ I love both sports, they both have done so much for me in my life, and I couldn’t give either up.” Many multi sport athletes love both sports evenly, it is quite evident in Racette. In addition to the sport itself, athletes receive support from their teams and coaches. Brooke Racette has said, “ I absolutely love having two coaches. I am extremely blessed with a huge support system because of this. They are the reason I get to do this and it is so fun having a relationship with both basketball and the track team.”
Being in a sport keeps student- athletes accountable for their grades and education at McPherson College. Double- sporters really have to stay on top on time management in order to be an all around person academically and athletically. Racette has learned how to prioritize her time from an early age. She has stated, “ Being apart of two sporting teams keeps me academically motivated. Getting an education is my top priority. I have goals on going to graduate school, so getting good grades is most definitely priority. And I learned how to prioritize my time from my early years in life.” Multi sport athletes have many trials to overcomes. However, they are taking over athletics at MAC college with full force and determination to be all around athletes and students.
