Maddie Connelly and Dani Lonati discuss what it’s like to balance playing two sports and school as they take on their Senior year.

Franklin High School is filled with student-athletes, many of who do not only play more than one sport for the school, but another for a travel league. One of those athletes is senior Dani Lonati, who plays Soccer for the high school in the fall and continues playing through the winter and spring for another team. In addition to three seasons of soccer, she also plays Lacrosse in the spring for the school.

One might ask, “When does she have time to do homework?” and this is a very good question. On top of competitive sports everyday, Lonati spends two to five hours on homework a night.

A teammate and friend, Maddie Connelly is another student-athlete at Franklin High School. She also plays soccer for the school in the fall and softball in the spring, training off season all winter. Her work load doesn’t differ much from Lonati’s as both girls are in multiple advanced classes.

While it is difficult to keep grades up in the midst of a sports season, both Connelly and Lonati had great things to say about their sports teams and the experience they’ve had throughout high school.

Lonati hopes to encourage students to join sports, exclaiming:  

“Although there’s a lot of time and effort put into it, you get a lot more out of it. Being with my team is like being with my family, and even when there’s something difficult going on in my life, they are always there to make me smile. Everyone should have that kind of support system.”

After playing on a travel team for three years while simultaneously playing sports in two seasons for the high school and taking honors and AP courses, Maddie Connelly states:

“Being a student athlete has taught me a lot about time management. I know that I have to utilize my direct study periods and time after practice to get my homework done so I am prepared for school the next day.”

It may seem like a lot of work, but these girls are not alone as it is estimated that more than 55 percent of high school students are involved in sports.