10.5 Hours On Campus
Six students attempt to juggle the pressures of participating in both cross country and band
Riley Box, Zachary Waltz, Nolan Schlattman, Ethan Hagner, Leilani Green, and Payton Grotewiel participate in both the band and cross country programs.
October 4, 2021
Imagine waking up at 5:45 a.m. every day to get to school at 6:30 a.m., and then not leaving again until 5 p.m. Seems a little tough, right? Well, this is the life for six students here at Liberty who participate in both the band program and run cross country.
These students attend an hour and a half of rehearsal in the morning, seven hours of school, and then two and a half hours of practice after school. And that’s not all. Every Wednesday night they have an extra two and a half hour band rehearsal at 6 p.m. In this rehearsal, they set new drills for their show and practice different movements.
When you add it all up, that’s 10.5 hours a day at school & 13.5 extra hours away from home each week where they could be doing other things like homework and sleeping. “I am either stuck with not finishing assignments or I am up super late doing my assignments,” Payton Grotewiel said.
So the question then remains, is it worth it?
“Definitely,” Grotewiel said. Most of these students have been participating in band since sixth grade and running cross country since eighth and they love it.
When asked why exactly he loves it so much, Nolan Schlattman (10) said- “I like cross country because the sport really teaches good discipline and I like band for all the amazing people I get to meet and all the opportunities that come out of it.”
Mrs. Magno, the band director, and Coach Glavin, the head cross country coach, do a great job of communicating with each other and planning around each student’s schedule. Last month the band competed at Francis Howell High School and had to be at school by 7:30 a.m. which is the same time as cross country practice. After working with Coach Glavin, the students were able to arrive at school on time for band and still participate in running for the day by doing a workout on their own.
The coaches are also there for the kids emotionally. “Coach Webster understands if you are stressed… and he just works it out great with you and he is really helpful,” Riley Box (9) said. “If it is too much work, you can take it down a notch and any problems they can help you with.”
Despite all the stresses of participating in multiple extracurriculars, when asked if they would do it again, the students responded with a determined “Yes!”
Thanks to the help of some amazing coaches and directors, the students are making the most of their time in both programs and love being a part of such special groups.
