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Show 4 BY KIM BRENNEISEN /STAFF WRITER hile finals may be taking some student-athletes by surprise, the majority of the members of the track and field team have been making sure to prepare early. Lauren Mills, a distance runner, is graduating this semester. Although she only has two finals, in the past she has usually had about four, which made her aware of what her schedule was going to look like toward the end. "It just takes a lot of planning ahead to know what days you will have longer practices, so you'll know when you have the most time to study': Mills said. "Just takes knowing how much time you will have in advance and being conscious of that:' Mills said her finals don't necessarily make her practice schedule harder to balance with studying, but she does spend more time worrying. "It adds stress, but it's not any different because we have to be pretty good at time management, anyways': Mills said. "Just a little bit more stressful because it matters more:' Nicole Rietz, a junior, agrees with Mills and said how she organizes her schedule is equally important to how much studying she actually gets done. She has three finals and has known what her priorities are from the beginning. "It's all about planning and organizing your time," Rietz said. "Time management is really the key to doing well on finals when you're traveling and practicing:" A few of the girls on the team will be traveling to Iowa this weekend, while the entire team will travel to Idaho the following week. Rietz said she has already gotten a head start on her studying, but with all the extra travel, she has to make sure she leaves nothing behind. "I already started filling out study guides for the one [final] next week," Rietz said. "I'm bringing all my study guides I need to fill out and all my books. I'm trying to break it down piece by piece so it doesn't feel so overwhelming when the day actually comes:' Mills feels lucky she only has two finals to study for and mentioned it can be a pain to drag around all her school work and books. She said focusing on both studying and competing is more difficult when the team isn't at home. "When you travel you're really trying to embrace your sport, so it's easier when you're here to think about school;' Mills said. "When you're there you ... like to focus more on the race or the game or whatever you're doing. It takes up a lot of your mental energy:' Rietz said sometimes she needs to force herself to just sit in her hotel room to get her work done. "We just really have to be super organized': Rietz said. "Really plan out our days and make sure we get everything done:' All the girls on the team are supportive of each other when one person needs to break away from the group to take time to study, and sometimes they even all come together to have study sessions. "If we go to another university, we'll find their library and sit down for like three or four hours': Rietz said. "We all hold each other accountable and always make each other do homework:' Rietz said her most difficult final will be medical terminology because it will be a lot of memorization. However, since she has known from the beginning what she was going to have to do, her early preparation is keeping her head up. "It's always been on my mind all semester that we have finals during that time, so I've been studying earlier," Rietz said. All the book work has already paid off as both Rietz and Mills were named to the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation All-Academic Team. k.brenneisen@chronicle.utah.edu @kbrenneisen W IT'SABOUT TIME (MANAGEMENT ► • 11. BY BROCK JENSEN /STAFF WRITER PHOTO BY COLE TAN he crowd is going wild.The lights have never been brighter. The game is on the line. The only thing between you and victory is the distance between the mound and home plate.Your team is leading by one run, and it's the bottom of the ninth.You are the closer and need just three outs for the victory. Everything that has happened in the game has led to you taking your place on the mound. You are expected to perform, but after a rough start you lose some composure, and all of a sudden the bases are loaded. On the bright side, you've managed to get two outs and are one strike away from getting out of the jam — it all depends on one pitch. You take a deep breath and get the sign from your catcher. The pitch call is your bread and butter, the one you have spent hours practicing: fastball, inside corner. How will you perform when the pressure is greatest and when execution is essential? Believe it or not, although this scenario sounds like baseball, it is the exact situation that's faced by all students at the end of the semester. Another finals week is upon us, and with its completion, another semester of school will be in the books. But don't close up those books right now — you are in the ninth inning, and being on top of your school game is as critical as ever. Don't blow a save by getting lackadaisical during the ZZHJinal part of the game. Study and preparation is essential. And no, staying up all night before an T 14 { THECHRONY I NEWS I OPINION I ARTS I SPORTS WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22, 2015 } THE FINAL INNING exam is not studying. That's called cramming, and it's not nearly as effective as studying. Throughout the semester we have completed assignments and done exercises that have helped teach us the skills necessary to succeed in each of our classes. Though the weight of final exams varies from class to class, it usually constitutes the largest portion of the grade for a class. With so much hanging on these last few days, why would we choose to throw away all the hard work and studying we did during the first eight innings? It doesn't make sense. It is at this point of the game and semester that we need to be at our best. No slacking, no nonchalant pitches. If there was ever a time to bring out the 100 mph fastball, it's now. We need to become the Mariano Riveras and Trevor Hoffmans during this last week. The work has been put in, and everything is in place for us to succeed. All we have to do is go out there and get three outs. The phone in the bullpen is ringing. Coach just answered it and turned and looked your way. A simple nod from him is all the communication that is needed. You grab your glove and start jogging your way to the mound. The crowd is going wild. The lights are bright. The game is on the line. Happy finals, everyone. b.jensen@chronicle.utah.edu @brockjensen02 |