by Craig Morgan, theSunDevils.com writer
TEMPE, Ariz. -- Sun Devils women's swimmer Alysha Bush was commiserating with several men's swimmers last week at study hall as finals week approached.
"They were all like, 'Oh, my God, I'm so brain dead right now I can't even focus," Bush said, laughing. "Once you're done with practice you can't even function sometimes. I'm so tired I need coffee and food before I can even think about studying."
Finals week -- which technically begins next week but in many cases begins late this week -- is always a stressful time for college students. Final exams represent a substantial portion of a student's course grade and some students have as many as six final exams or projects due within a week.
Add in the requisite practice time and game pressure that student-athletes in a Division I program face, and the stress can rise exponentially. That's where the Sun Devils support team plays an invaluable role.
"The support we provide sometimes comes in extra tutoring in the particular subject they may have a final in, or, if they're travelling, helping them communicate with professors," said Jessica Richardson, the academic coach for soccer, men's basketball, volleyball and beach volleyball. "Sometimes, it's emotional support we provide by telling them they're going to be OK so just relax and they'll get through it. Sometimes, they just need someone to talk to."
Bush is a senior, so even though she has six finals, she's a veteran who knows how to manage the week. Women's golfer Olivia Mehaffey is a freshman from Belfast, Northern Ireland so she is on the other end of the continuum.
"I have four finals -- two on Friday; two next week -- and it's my first finals week so I'm still trying to figure out what to expect," she said. "We're really lucky that we all have academic coaches. Coach Shay (Jewett) checks in with us all the time to see how we're doing and we can use tutors whenever we need them. I have a math tutor that I usually spend about two hours a week with but I'm trying to schedule a couple more this week."
With finals week nearly in full swing, many coaches will alter their schedules to help their athletes. Women's basketball coach Charli Turner Thorne gave her team Sunday and Wednesday off this week and they will get Tuesday and Wednesday off next week.
"Even with our practice time, we'll cut back a little bit and try to get them in and out a little quicker so they have the energy they need," Turner Thorne said. "In the new world of college exams, students' finals tend to be spread out so it's not as bad as it was in the olden days when you'd see kids have three, three-hour exams over two to three days, but it's still a stressful time."
All of ASU's coaches make concessions to finals week, and Richardson said she submits a finals schedule for all of her student-athletes to the coaches so they can coordinate their practices, but there are practical realities that can't be circumvented.
For example, the men's basketball team will be in New York for the Jimmy V Classic next week so Richardson has been coordinating with all of the players' professors to either reschedule finals or proctor exams while they are on the road.
There is also the internal pressure athletes face, and the practical need to stay in game shape during finals -- a pressure that leads student-athletes to put in regular practice hours even when it might not seem feasible.
"During finals week, our coaches tell us we can have time off if we need it or are overwhelmed but there is an expectation to be at practice unless we absolutely have to miss so we have this mentality to make it work," Bush said. "I don't want to be seen as weak and miss practice. I want to show that I'm mentally tough and can handle everything."
Student-athletes believe that approach sets a helpful pattern for their post-collegiate careers.
"I think the biggest part of is just learning time management," said senior men's hockey player Robert Levin, who has a pair of projects, a presentation and two exams over the next week. "I went to prep school where it was pretty much the same thing so I got an understanding of what was expected, but it does create stress, especially for the younger guys just getting into the swing of things. Using your time wisely is really important."
When finals are over, many of the student-athletes will get the chance to go back home for the holidays -- a worthwhile reward for the work they put in. Even so, Turner Thorne makes sure to mark the moment of completion.
"We usually celebrate when every person finishes," Turner Thorne said. "[Senior] Quinn [Dornstauder] is always one of the last people done so it seems like we're always saying, 'sorry, Quinn.'"
TEMPE, Ariz. -- Sun Devils women's swimmer Alysha Bush was commiserating with several men's swimmers last week at study hall as finals week approached.
"They were all like, 'Oh, my God, I'm so brain dead right now I can't even focus," Bush said, laughing. "Once you're done with practice you can't even function sometimes. I'm so tired I need coffee and food before I can even think about studying."
Finals week -- which technically begins next week but in many cases begins late this week -- is always a stressful time for college students. Final exams represent a substantial portion of a student's course grade and some students have as many as six final exams or projects due within a week.
Add in the requisite practice time and game pressure that student-athletes in a Division I program face, and the stress can rise exponentially. That's where the Sun Devils support team plays an invaluable role.
"The support we provide sometimes comes in extra tutoring in the particular subject they may have a final in, or, if they're travelling, helping them communicate with professors," said Jessica Richardson, the academic coach for soccer, men's basketball, volleyball and beach volleyball. "Sometimes, it's emotional support we provide by telling them they're going to be OK so just relax and they'll get through it. Sometimes, they just need someone to talk to."
Bush is a senior, so even though she has six finals, she's a veteran who knows how to manage the week. Women's golfer Olivia Mehaffey is a freshman from Belfast, Northern Ireland so she is on the other end of the continuum.
"I have four finals -- two on Friday; two next week -- and it's my first finals week so I'm still trying to figure out what to expect," she said. "We're really lucky that we all have academic coaches. Coach Shay (Jewett) checks in with us all the time to see how we're doing and we can use tutors whenever we need them. I have a math tutor that I usually spend about two hours a week with but I'm trying to schedule a couple more this week."
With finals week nearly in full swing, many coaches will alter their schedules to help their athletes. Women's basketball coach Charli Turner Thorne gave her team Sunday and Wednesday off this week and they will get Tuesday and Wednesday off next week.
"Even with our practice time, we'll cut back a little bit and try to get them in and out a little quicker so they have the energy they need," Turner Thorne said. "In the new world of college exams, students' finals tend to be spread out so it's not as bad as it was in the olden days when you'd see kids have three, three-hour exams over two to three days, but it's still a stressful time."
All of ASU's coaches make concessions to finals week, and Richardson said she submits a finals schedule for all of her student-athletes to the coaches so they can coordinate their practices, but there are practical realities that can't be circumvented.
For example, the men's basketball team will be in New York for the Jimmy V Classic next week so Richardson has been coordinating with all of the players' professors to either reschedule finals or proctor exams while they are on the road.
There is also the internal pressure athletes face, and the practical need to stay in game shape during finals -- a pressure that leads student-athletes to put in regular practice hours even when it might not seem feasible.
"During finals week, our coaches tell us we can have time off if we need it or are overwhelmed but there is an expectation to be at practice unless we absolutely have to miss so we have this mentality to make it work," Bush said. "I don't want to be seen as weak and miss practice. I want to show that I'm mentally tough and can handle everything."
Student-athletes believe that approach sets a helpful pattern for their post-collegiate careers.
"I think the biggest part of is just learning time management," said senior men's hockey player Robert Levin, who has a pair of projects, a presentation and two exams over the next week. "I went to prep school where it was pretty much the same thing so I got an understanding of what was expected, but it does create stress, especially for the younger guys just getting into the swing of things. Using your time wisely is really important."
When finals are over, many of the student-athletes will get the chance to go back home for the holidays -- a worthwhile reward for the work they put in. Even so, Turner Thorne makes sure to mark the moment of completion.
"We usually celebrate when every person finishes," Turner Thorne said. "[Senior] Quinn [Dornstauder] is always one of the last people done so it seems like we're always saying, 'sorry, Quinn.'"