Athlete’s Perspective: Difference Between HS & College Athletics
You vs. You
With the start of signings and commits being announced plus the new year coming up fast, I asked some special guests to give insight as former track & field athletes on the biggest difference between being a high school vs. college track & field student-athlete.
From: The One Who Never Gave Up
The biggest differences
1. You are surrounded by athletes who want to be the best, are working to be the best, and are the best; it’s not social hour anymore for your teammates. It’s business hour!
2. You and your workouts are more mature, so act as if they are. Rest appropriately, fuel properly, and be smart. You can’t expect to tear up your body in workouts and then beat yourself up (physically, mentally, or dietarily) doing unnecessary extracurricular activities.
3. No one will care about your success more than you. You can’t expect to make it anymore on natural talent and everyone else pushing you. Time to grab a rope and pull yourself to success with other “support”.
The biggest similarities
1. YOU’RE STILL YOU! If you were lazy in HS you’ll be lazy in college unless you make changes. Surround yourself with friends who push you to be better and get out of your comfort zone. In the same way, if you were a workhorse in HS, don’t stop–keep that grind going. Don’t let the fact that you “made it” stop you from working!
Don’t let the fact that you “made it” stop you from working!
2. Pain is pain. Workouts hurt just like they always have. Losing hurts. Missing an opportunity hurts. None of that changes. But the biggest pain is missing an opportunity due to a lack of effort. That sticks with you forever!
3. You will make great friends, just like HS.
4. Arrogance still gets you nowhere. Confidence will help you succeed. Self-confidence, confidence in your coach, confidence in your training, confidence in your teammates.
From: The Fighter
I would tell myself to trust the process. Don’t worry about making friends. People will respect you for working hard and having big goals. Those are the people you want to be around.
Be comfortable with yourself, and don’t worry about what your teammates are or aren’t doing. When you become an upperclassman, you’ll have the opportunity to shape the younger athletes under you.
I had coaches and many other athletes around me that were very successful. I aspired to be and do what they did. They showed me the path on how to do so. In high school, I was set on the goal. In college, I was set on the steps to accomplish the goal, along with enjoying the journey of training hard.
I was never close to my father. Being around a coach/mentor who acted as a father figure was the best thing I could have received from college. Through him, I was given many resources and introduced to amazing people within the field.
If you stay open, authentic, and loyal, your transition from high school to college will come with ease. If you continue to hold those qualities and work hard, you’ll get everything you need and more to enter the real world as an adult.
From: The Consistent One
The biggest difference between HS vs Collegiate track for me was coaching. In high school, we really didn’t have a structured training or weight-lifting plan. In college, I learned different techniques and drills, plus I learned about recovery. And we trained throughout the year rather than one season in high school.
The advice I would give my past freshman self is to be more consistent in every way. Whether it’s practice, weights, recovery, or schoolwork.
From: The Believer
What are the biggest differences between HS to College track?
⁃ I would say the biggest difference for me is that if you want to be great at the collegiate level, it requires a whole other level of commitment on the track, in the weight room, and off the track. In high school, you can typically get by just off of natural ability or doing the minimum at practice. If you try that at the collegiate level, odds are you’ll get exposed in practices and especially at meets
⁃ You have to prioritize recovery. In college, you practice more than you ever have (assuming you did multiple sports or didn’t do track year-round). It’s easier to get nagging injuries due to the workload, so you have to be proactive with sleep, treatment, and general recovery.
⁃ One of the similarities is that at the end of the day, you’re competing. It’s you vs you. Focus on yourself, go execute, and good things should happen.
What advice would I give my freshman in college self?
⁃ Be a student of the sport. The more you understand your event and what goes into performance, the better you’ll be.
It’s you vs you. Focus on yourself, go execute, and good things should happen.
From: The Leader
⁃ A positive difference I immediately noticed (as a freshman) was how much everyone cares about the sport. In high school, there are a lot of kids who are just there for fun. In college, everyone wants to be great, and it’s so much easier to get through the hard days when everyone is pushing themselves to their limits. A lot of people go to college and get caught up in the higher expectations, pressure, competition, etc. If you can make it a point to remember why you fell in love with the sport in the first place, everything else becomes easier.
⁃ A difference that I struggled with was the volume - both mentally and physically. It’s not only a much greater time commitment but the increase in physical volume was also something that I struggled with at first.
What advice would I give my past freshman in college self? I would remind my freshman in college self that my choices will directly impact my results. My freshman year I didn’t always make the smartest choices to set myself up for success. I wasn’t sleeping nearly enough, I wasn’t fueling my body with the proper things to stay healthy, I wasn’t doing the little things to recover properly, etc… and ultimately, I sustained an injury that sat me out for almost 8 months and set me back for much longer. On the flip side of that, when I started making good choices I saw results that I never dreamed would’ve been possible.
⁃ I would also say: Don’t quit, even when you really want to.
I would remind my freshman in college self that my choices will directly impact my results.
Coach Clark’s Thoughts
I started as a high school track & field coach and now am in my 10th year of NCAA coaching. Here are my thoughts from the coach’s side.
The biggest difference for coaches and athletes in NCAA track & field is the time commitment. The length of the season is much longer than HS, which is a lot harder on the body because of that extended training and competition.
When coaching collegiate athletes, there is a higher standard and a higher level of technical precision because of the athlete’s age and experience.
As an NCAA athlete, you compete at an international level because NCAA athletes come from all over the world to compete at NCAA schools. High School is more localized by state. Even “National” HS meets like New Balance or Eugene don’t bring the very best of the best together.
In the NCAA, you can compete against a 24-year-old adult with world-class marks, times, and experience in your first meet as an 18-year-old freshman. The competition feels drastically different than competing at local high school meets.
I hope this post helps someone thinking of or going through this new journey! Thank you for reading! Thank you for sharing.
And a special thank you to my special guests (:
Community Chat:
What advice would you give your freshman in college self?