At ISB, this community has many students pursuing their passion for sports while maintaining an excellent academic reputation. The academics pressure students as they move up grade levels but continue their after-school sports time. What are the behind-the-scene efforts to achieve double wins in sports and academics? 

“ I love socializing, so that’s my strategy for dealing with all the stress.”

Pannakarn (Kate) Kulmanochwong is a freshman and part of the Varsity Girls’ Touch Rugby team this year. Kate has two hours of practice every weekday with the team and three hours of study time once she gets home. This year, Kate’s goal is to adapt to high school and balance academics and athletics. As a freshman, “I’m still adapting and trying to manage my time,” she says. Kate’s system of managing time is well organized. She uses tools like a to-do list to record and finish her tasks before due dates. “It helps me not procrastinate and finish all my work on time.” It also helps Kate release stress by knowing what she needs to do. 

Kate feels fulfilled after her daily practices, and being part of the team shows her commitment to her sport. These two hours are “one of the best two hours of my day.” Her performances in touch rugby also reflect on the connections and bonds she has made with her teammates. While she and her team enjoy their time training together, they also improve along the way. Kate’s biggest challenge as a student-athlete is time management. Her personal challenge every day is to finish her work and go to sleep at 9:30 p.m. so she has some time to spend with her family. This challenge can be overcome shortly after she gets used to high school life. 

“Pressure can be a good thing sometimes!”

Pimpitchaya (Or) Dhamapong is a senior and the Girls’ Varsity Tennis and Season 1 Girls’ Varsity Volleyball team captain. For Or, she trains after school for two hours a day from 3 to 5 p.m. and then returns home to study for 4 to 5 hours. This year, being a senior makes the workload substantial and highly stressful. Or takes the full IB diploma. Balancing internal assessments, extended essays, CAS, and predicted grades has drained her. However, her positivity is impressive. “Sometimes the pressure just drives me to work harder and stay focused on my goals amidst the challenges,” she explains.  

There are sacrifices along the way, and sleep is the most mentioned. “It’s a constant struggle to find the right balance between staying up late to finish assignments and making sure I get enough rest to recover physically and mentally,” Or says. To combat this challenge, Or has prioritized quality of studying over quantity by developing fast and efficient ways to review material, which helps her sleep as much as possible. 

In volleyball and tennis, Or continuously managed the same schedule for a long time. “Over the years, I’ve learned that maintaining balance is key to staying motivated and avoiding burnout—or what they call ‘senioritis.’” Her goal this year as a senior is to keep pushing her limits while enjoying every moment, whether on the court, the field, or the classroom. While Or continues putting in the hard work in her senior year, she wants to reflect on all the good memories she has made throughout the year. Being the “Team Mom” senior captain is not easy. Still, she wants to leave a lasting impression on her teammates, especially the freshmen, by showing them that senior captains aren’t always intimidating or unapproachable. 

“Swimming allows me to find time to forget about schoolwork.”

Siraphop (Pan) Pitpreecha is a senior and Varsity Swim captain this year. Pan spends more than an hour in the morning and two hours in the afternoon training while putting in another three hours during the evening studying. “Academics is a big part of my priorities, and I must perform well,” he says. “As a senior, I have the extra workload of college applications and school coursework.” With the additional stress from academics, Pan shares his way of relaxation. “An essential part of performing well in school is keeping my mind clear. Exercising is an effective way.” This academic year, Pan’s goal is to maintain his current level in all the classes. On the other hand, in swimming, Pan worked hard to perform well at IASAS, score high points, and have fun with his team. 

Being a student-athlete is hard, but there’s a system for Pan to work through this challenging process. Pan makes sure to do as much as he can during free periods and weekends since there are often weekend swim meets. “However, as I mentioned, the time crunch does help me procrastinate less and become much more efficient in studying,” he says. The biggest challenge he faced for the past few years of being a student-athlete is getting home feeling tired but still sitting up and working through his studies. “This was harder a few years ago, but now it feels natural to me and sometimes even makes me feel more energized,” he explains. 

“Basketball is a huge part of my life.”

Zihao (Lucas) Ye is a sophomore and Varsity Boys’ Basketball team member this year. On average, Lucas spends two hours training and two hours studying daily. But when an assessment comes up, he spends four hours straight on his studies. As Lucas became a sophomore, the workload was heavier, especially when taking multiple AP courses. The pressure from academics piles up when deadlines for assignments and summatives approach. “However, the workload right now is just right,” he says.

As Lucas presents himself as a student-athlete, his biggest challenge is finding enough time to do everything well. From balancing long practices and games to multiple summatives on the same day, it can feel like juggling too many things simultaneously. “Sleep often gets sacrificed when I have to cram for a summative after a late-night game,” he says.

“Time management is key for me.” While Lucas sticks to a strict weekly schedule, prioritizing practice and study time, he also takes small breaks during the day to complete assignments. Somedays, whenever he feels overwhelmed and needs extra support, “…communication with my teachers and coaches also helps.” Lucas also has his way of “escaping” from academics. “When I play basketball, I release myself from school or any other stress.” Lucas believes basketball is a great way to keep him physically and mentally strong while destressing from schoolwork.