The team at AFC Urgent Care Fountain City understands how excited your child (and even you!) will be about school sports starting back up again in the Fountain City area. However, it can sometimes be difficult to transition from a care-free summer break to a crazy, busy sports and school schedule. Therefore, it’s important to know how to handle the season while also trying to make time for everything else in your already busy schedule. A Balancing Act Especially as your young athlete grows older, he or she may not necessarily be looking forward to “school” as much as sports starting back up again (although some might have already been in full swing of practicing over the summer). However, with the school semester officially underway, it really is sports season around Fountain City. Therefore, it’s important to make sure that while sports are fun, studies are important too. Start by sitting down with your athlete and organizing a schedule that you can both be on board with during the season. Visual aides tend to help your student understand things more clearly, so write down on a monthly calendar times for practice, due dates of major school projects, “study” time for homework, reading, etc. This way your athlete knows exactly what is expected of him or her, as well as what is due and what is happening on any given day so that nothing falls through the cracks. (Hint: Fountain City Branch Library provides a wonderful atmosphere for studying.) In addition, use the weekends to your athlete’s advantage. Go ahead and mark your calendars as much as you can utilizing the Knox County Schools athletic schedule. Then, around your child’s games, aim to make time here and there for your child to work ahead on some school items, such as starting a project early or reading a few chapters that will be discussed in class for the week. This way if your athlete happens to have an “off” day through the week (which we all have), he or she won’t feel overwhelmed if working ahead over the weekend wasn’t an option. Lastly, if you start seeing your athlete having trouble in class, don’t wait to get help. There are numerous tutors available around the Fountain City area, such as Club Z! Tutoring, that can help your student become more comfortable in the subject he or she is struggling in. Plus, most all sports require that the athlete maintain a certain grade point average. Not only will the tutor be able to help your student be able to raise his or her GPA, it will also help to ensure that your athlete is able to remain playing on the field. Don’t Be Scared to Ask for Help Remember, never hesitate to ask for help from your child’s school, as well as ask coaches and/or other parents how they help keep their young athlete on the right path balancing school and sports. They may have some of the best suggestions because they are in the same boat as you. Did your athlete undergo a sports’ physical for the new school year? If not, no worries. There’s still time, as you can visit AFC Urgent Care Fountain City, located across from the new Kroger on the corner of Gibbs Drive and North Broadway, today for completion!