Most students wake up and get ready for school, and school only. On the other hand, some students have to be up by 6 a.m. just to make it to practice on time. For student athletes who start their day before sunrise, the early hours require both physical endurance and mental discipline.
Junior Elijah Anderson, who is a member of the NC boys basketball team, has been having morning practices since joining the team in 2023. Anderson has been on varsity since his freshman year, meaning he needed to get adjusted to waking up early for basketball practice very quickly.
As a freshman, the early mornings were a surprise to him. Now, being a junior, Anderson wants to approach them with much more experience, enthusiasm and mental preparation.
¨Honestly, from freshman year to now, morning practices have become much easier for me. I try to get around seven hours of sleep before them to reset my mind and body,” Anderson said.
Waking up early can take a toll on your body physically and mentally after workouts. Anderson, an above 3.0 GPA student, tries to maintain a balance between both workouts and heavy loads of schoolwork over the summer.
Although waking up early is a challenge for most athletes, early practices can strengthen team bonds as players are forced to rely on one another to stay motivated during exhausting mornings
¨I try to balance both my summer schoolwork and workouts as best as I can,” Anderson said. “My teammates keep me motivated throughout these workouts. They really push me to be my absolute best.”
For many student athletes, the toughest challenge is not the plays or conditioning in the morning, it’s convincing their bodies and minds to wake up at 6 a.m. For Anderson, that moment is the most difficult part of morning practices.
“The hardest part of these workouts for me is trying to wake up on time. I try to be early to these practices so I want to wake up at a reasonable time. In the morning, I am still super tired from the night before,¨ Anderson said.
Early practices in the morning don’t just affect athletes physically, the lack of sleep can translate to the classroom, causing focus during class even more difficult for student athletes.
Anderson has experienced feeling very proud of his performances. On the other hand, he has also been very frustrated and dissatisfied with how he played during these early morning workouts.
¨I try to play to my best ability,” Anderson said. “There obviously have been moments where I didn’t play my best and felt very frustrated with myself but I try to use them as a learning experience. But also there have been times where I performed great and coaches were proud.”
Morning practices can change how student athletes approach the rest of their day. Starting the morning with an intense workout can really affect players ability to stay focused and energized throughout the school day.
However, some student athletes can learn how to push through the fatigue by creating better routines and managing their time much more efficiently. It can build discipline and responsibility.
Anderson has become much better at handling these workouts and how to prepare for them. With this kind of work ethic and mental toughness, his potential and his future looks very bright.
