Davis students pursuing outside passions experience benefits in their well-being, athletic performance
By EMME DUNNING — features@theaggie.org
For most student-athletes, sports are a major part of their identities. Many have dedicated years to honing their athletic skills, spending much of their time at UC Davis practicing and playing the sport they love. While athletes are in season, they are often occupied with the rigorous schedule of the season on top of academics. As a result, many athletes lose time for extracurriculars.
Once the season ends, however, athletes find themselves with more free time to pursue their passions and maintain a balanced lifestyle. The off-season provides student-athletes with a unique opportunity to explore other interests, invest in their academics and ensure they are rested and recharged for the next season.
Brody Crouch, a third-year communications and psychology double major, is on the UC Davis men’s water polo team. During the fall water polo season, Crouch and his teammates can be found in the pool practicing, watching films or on the road for games and tournaments. Although water polo season is an exciting time for the team, it is also a major mental and physical commitment. After a long season, Crouch and his teammates take time to pursue personal interests.
“During the off-season we have a lot more free time, giving my teammates and I more time to play games, relax and take more classes,” Crouch said. “My teammates and I have gotten really into pickleball and going to the [Activities and Recreation Center] ARC to play pickup basketball.”
Crouch asserted that the off-season also provides an opportunity for him to prioritize his educational pursuits.
“I also enjoy the off-season for academics,” Crouch said. “It allows me to spend more time on schoolwork and classes.”
Crouch believes that pursuing outside interests in the off-season is an important part of how athletes balance sports with their day-to-day-lives, and can even help improve performance in season.
“Having an off-season is crucial to an athlete because it gives the body and mind a new routine,” Crouch said. “During the season with traveling and working out, our schedule can get very repetitive. Getting a change every quarter is super nice.”
Joshua Davis, a fourth-year political science major on the UC Davis men’s water polo team, uses the off-season as a time to reset and recharge. Davis said that this time allows him to put more effort into academics and hobbies that are more difficult during the season.
“I enjoy focusing on school and playing golf, which are both hard during the season with the huge time commitment,” Davis said. “Outside the season, I have so much time to do those things that help me decompress.”
Even in the off-season, student-athletes take time to stay active — which, for water polo athletes, often means a mix of activities both in and out of the pool.
“I swim once in a while, and then [I] play pickleball or other sports here or there that help keep me in shape,” Davis said.
Katie Sullivan, a fourth-year design major on the UC Davis women’s lacrosse team, finds many ways to fill her time in the off-season. As a design major, Sullivan often spends the extra free time she finds in the fall and summer fostering her creative interests.
“I really like just being creative,” Sullivan said. “It’s part of my major so I’m lucky to have an outlet through school. Diving into creative projects like sewing or building things, and just designing in general.”
In addition to cultivating her artistic passions, Sullivan also stays active in her off-season.
“I love being active, especially when it’s not required for my sport,” Sullivan said. “Anything outdoors like hiking, surfing and pickleball. I also love getting out on trail runs, where it’s not just sprinting on the field, but more for enjoyment.”
Sullivan noted that although sports performance can serve as an important part of an athlete’s identity, leaning into other hobbies is vital to maintaining a healthy balance.
“I think [finding interests outside of your sport] is very necessary,” Sullivan said. “For my sport, it’s definitely a mindset whether or not you weigh your self-worth based on how you do in your sport. It’s important to detach from that identity and find other hobbies.”
While Sullivan practices this mindset in her own life, she expressed that for her and many other athletes, it is an ongoing process of discovery and growth.
“I feel so lucky that I’ve been drawn to so many other things that have allowed me to separate from that identity a little bit, but it has definitely been a struggle throughout the years,” Sullivan said. “It’s a journey.”
Written by: Emme Dunning — features@theaggie.org
