Priya Cooper/ Asst. Sports Editor

With Valentine’s Day right around the corner and the recent start of a new year comes reflection of ourselves, our lives, what we value in each day and what we truly love.

Sports are an integral part of a lot of students’ lives on campus and can sometimes be described as a love/ hate relationship. For the most part, people are dedicated to their sport and have impressive discipline which allows them to thrive in a competitive environment and compete to the best of their ability.

While there are many highs in the world of sports, there are definitely days where practice is grueling or the thrill of the game ends in disappointment. This week some of our athletes on campus discussed the love/hate relationship with the game. Most of our students had nothing to complain about. Student- athletes lead different lifestyles, giving each one a different insight and perspective on their involvement with USD Athletics.

USD junior Grace Kramer is a member of the USD women’s rowing program and shared her opinions on her love/hate relationship with her sport.

Kramer expressed her favorite and least favorite aspects about her role as a student-athlete.

“All my teammates are my best friends, and we just have a good time together and practices are always fun,” Kramer said. “I can’t really think of anything [I dislike]. It’s very busy, but I like that about it. Sometimes it sucks waking up early every morning but that’s like part of it. You can’t really change it.”

Nico Libed, a USD first- year on the baseball team had similar thoughts and commented about his passion for the game.

“[The part I love] is probably just hanging out with all my teammates. All of them are really cool so we hang out all the time.”

As for what Libed likes the least, he identified the lack of freedom.

“And just not having enough time to do stuff, but — other than that — it’s pretty good.”

Libed had no major complaints or dislikes — just awareness that scheduling could make life tight and more difficult sometimes. Sports can sometimes conflictwith activities that other students may be able to enjoy in their free time but they also build a strong and unique bond that athletes may not want to trade for anything else.

USD sophomore Delaney Paulus is a member of the women’s club lacrosse team. She highlighted her experiences with teamwork, as well as the difference between men and women’s lacrosse.

“One thing I love about lacrosse is playing a team sport that involves working together. My team and I are very close, and it’s nice to know that I have girls I can count on. One thing I dislike about lacrosse is some of the rules regarding contact. Men’s lacrosse involves more contact, and I wish women’s lacrosse had the similar rules… [I would change] the rules to make women’s lacrosse have more contact and also if these rules are changed adding helmets and more protection for our gear.”

Much like any romantic connection or relationship, sports bring a range of emotions. Nothing feels as good as a triumphant victory and knowing you have your teammates beside you. However the crushing blow of defeat and the feelings that follow, the exhausting physical demands and the mental toll of competition can be incredibly challenging for even the most disciplined athletes.

The sport of rowing allows athletes to work closely with their teammates to accomplish their goals. Photo courtesy of @usdwrowing/Instagram