Successful collegiate rodeo contestants must be effective time managers. There is no choice in the matter as they are responsible for themselves and in many cases for their animals. Time management skills are critical for your success.
When you consider the amount of time in a day that must be allocated to sleep, eating, attending classes, practice, studying, doing laundry, running any necessary errands, and hopefully having some free time for a social life, you will quickly realize that a college rodeo athlete has very little spare time.
All of this is built on the assumption that they are not traveling to a rodeo.
The major key for success in the classroom and in the arena is being able to have good time management skills. Some students are able to find the balance. Others are able to master the rodeo side, and struggle with the class side. Some are on the other side of the fence and do well in the classroom and struggle in the arena. Develop the balance.
As a college rodeo student it is critical that you cultivate your time management skills if you want to be successful. These skills will benefit you now and in the future.
Here are some suggestions that we give our student athletes:
Learn to keep a calendar with your dates and deadlines. You can do this on most smart phones now. You don’t want to miss an assignment because you were out of town or traveling or simply forgot.
Know what you need to accomplish each day. Classes and Practices included.
Do not let your social life take first priority. Classes first, practice second, social life down the list somewhere.
Make sure you are prepared for your assignments when you are traveling. Yes you are on the road at a rodeo. You are still responsible for completing your class work on time.
Have a good practice plan so that you don’t have to spend more time than necessary in the arena practicing.
Work with your roommates and teammates to split your chores. This will help everyone maximize their time and effort. But also make sure you have good roommates and teammates that will pull their weight as well.
Wake up early. You can get a lot accomplished while everyone else is sleeping. This also requires you going to bed early.
Listen to your Coach when they are trying to help you. Most of them have been at this for a long time. They really can help you shorten the learning curve. If you don’t listen you may just learn the hard way.
Do not procrastinate, you will do better work when you are not rushed. Plus your grades will reflect your effort.
The sooner you learn these skills, the better chance you have to be successful as a college rodeo athlete.
Good luck!
