Today I am here with Vickie Esparza, a student new to Saugus High School to see how she handles being at a new school along with sports while still having fun in her free time.  

What sport do you play and for what team? “I play softball for I-Five McDonald/Dunagan 16u, travel team and for the Saugus team.”

How many days do you have practice and how long are they? “Seven days a week with training is usually about two and a half to four hours long.”

Do you usually have a lot of homework? “Yes I usually have a lot of homework, especially in my body systems, math, and English classes.”

Do you find it hard to manage your time with softball and school? “Yes, because I get home at around 5:00 pm everyday and still have to eat dinner, shower, etc so it is hard to find time for my homework sometimes. I usually have to wake up early to do my homework in the morning which messes up my sleep schedule.”

Do you still have time to go out and have fun? “The only time I can usually hang out with my friends is at school because I have softball seven days a week for long periods of time so I end up having to miss a lot of activities and things with my friends.”

Do you have support around you to help with school and sports? “My teachers don’t really support me because they just want me to put school first, but my parents support me a lot and help me when I need it. “

Do you find it hard to keep up with your grades? “Yes, sometimes it gets hard, but I am good at getting them back up, but sometimes it is difficult because I don’t have a lot of time.”

What do you like to do in your free time? “When I do have free time I like to hang out with my friends and go to the football games.

Did you make a lot of friends through softball? “Yes, most of my closest friends I made through softball.”