Inside the Life: Clock management

By Jordan Moore on November 4, 2009 9:42 AM | No Comments

Throughout the season, USCRipsIt will be taking you into the off-the-field life of a player, showing you what goes on behind the scenes through "Inside the Life." In this weekly series written by staff writer Courtney Kalisz, we'll bring you into the daily life of a player and reveal the details that fill a student-athlete's schedule while off the field. Here's a feature about the importance of time management for USC's student-athletes:

If you ask any USC football player what his daily routine consists of, you might have trouble keeping track of all the activities and commitments that come with being a student-athlete. The one thing you will never hear a USC football player mention when describing his daily routine?

Free time.

With both football and academics as top priorities, there is little time left that is not devoted to improving on the field and in the classroom. The day usually starts with a weightlifting session in the morning. Afterward, players spend time focusing on academics through classes, tutoring sessions and studying. Time is then spent reviewing film, in team meetings and on the field. After practice, there is typically a team dinner at Galen Center. The remainder of the night is spent catching up on schoolwork.

While every student at USC feels the stress of many assignments and deadlines, members of the football team face additional challenges. On top of their rigorous everyday schedule, the players travel on many weekends during the fall for games. This added time constraint makes it harder for the Trojans to have sufficient time to study and work on projects. In order to compensate for this lack of time, they must learn to manage their time well. There is little room for failure, as eligibility depends on academic success.

So what do members of the USC football team do when they do get free time? Boomer Roepke, a junior who serves as a punter and a cornerback for the Trojans says he just likes to relax in the limited free time he has.

"I like just hanging out with my friends, watching TV and playing video games in my spare time," Roepke says, although he added it is rare that he finds a night where he is not studying in Leavey Library.

For the most part, relaxation during spare time is a common theme among members of the USC football team. In their free time the Trojans also enjoy doing community service, watching other sports, eating and sleeping.

- By Courtney Kalisz, USCRipsIt staff writer

University Southern California Trojans

Inside the Life: Clock management

Inside the Life: Clock management

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