NO DAYS OFF... Well, maybe just one

We've all heard the term "No days off", and it's absolutely true! If you want your body and mind to be in tip top shape, you shouldn't take a single day off. But my roommate and I were in desperate need of at least one day off.

With weights 3 times a week, and practice every other day, you have to take full advantage of days off coach gives you. Whether that means resting your body, by sitting in the ice bath for as long as you can stand, taking long naps, or being academically productive in the library.

I hate to say it, but we didn't do any of those things. Yesterday afternoon, we decided to hit the mall and of course get Chik-fil-A for lunch. After eating the crappy dorm food for the past few weeks we decided to splurge on some top quality french fries and chicken nuggets.

Photo Credit: Maddie Abbs

The 2 hours we were out at the mall were wonderful! I bought a Sporting KC shirt for the upcoming game, walked around and window shopped, and people watched from the food court. Sadly, our free time came to an end, because we had to get back to the room to do our laundry.

Tips for all students: Don't go to the mall in your free time, like me. Do something productive like studying for a test, or preparing yourself for class the next day so you aren't stuck at the library all night.

And don't eat all your Chik-fil-A too fast, your tummy will hate you later

Study Table Struggles

One of the tough things about being student-athletes is balancing study and workout time. One of the softball team expectations is that we log 8 or more hours of study time at the library. This may not seem very long, maybe an hour or so a night, but with practice every other day going to study wasn't one of my top priorities at first.

Monday I went to the library, a quiet, calm environment that turned out to be more like a zoo! Kids were running up and down the stairs and on the main floor, and shouting across the room all thanks to "The Great Library Race". This is an event created by librarians to get kids interested in the library and all of its tools for success. Safe to say I didn't get any studying done that day.

Working diligently for an hour or so doesn't seem that bad, right? Think again. By the time you get there, find a table, organize yourself and your homework, and get focused on what you need to do practically 30 minutes have gone by, for me at least.

One of my roommates and I decided to go later in the week to keep each other focused for the night. We each had a mental plan of what we needed to do and how we were going to get it done. Instead of actually following through with the plan, we sat there for the first hour talking about random things and laughing until our stomachs ached.

Library Rule #1: DON'T BRING FRIENDS TO THE LIBRARY

One of the things I couldn't stop laughing about was the fact that someone brought a Nintendo DS with them. YOU ARE A COLLEGE STUDENT, NOT A 12 YEAR OLD BOY! YOU SHOULD NOT BE PLAYING MARIO CART!

Photo Credit: Maddie Abbs

Library Rule #2: Don't be "that guy" playing with little kid toys...

Library Rule #3: Always dress warm in case you get cold easily like Savannah, and be sure to wear your backpack straps when your backpack gets too heavy!

Photo Credit: Maddie Abbs

Hopefully my laughter-filled library experiences will help you guys see what not to do!