Fritz Rasmussen walked into Panther Camp the summer before his freshman year with multiple Pre-AP and AP classes, as well as tennis marked on his printed Bridges course plan for his first year in high school.

“I just put down tennis because I was required to take a PE credit, and I thought swinging a racquet back and forth would be fun,” said Rasmussen, now a sophomore.  

Balancing time is constantly a problem faced by many students involved in various activities. As a freshman, students look to find the balance and try out ways to get done what needs to be done.

During his freshman year, Rasmussen earned exceptional grades in all of his classes and was ranked at number one in the class of 2019.

“I learned not to procrastinate,” he said of his freshman year, “and I learned to just focus and get my work done.”

Still at the top of his class, Rasmussen says he has found the perfect balance between school and sport.

“I go straight home after school and get to work,” he said. On average, Rasmussen spends three to four hours scouring over his notes and reading textbooks to keep his number one rank.

“I don’t really feel pressure from my friends to remain number one, but I pressure myself to keep my grades above average,” he said.

The key is sacrifice says fellow tennis player Bryce Guynes.

“You have to sacrifice sleep, and you have to stay up late,” says Guynes, who first played tennis in seventh grade.

Guynes is currently the parliamentarian of the National Honor Society as well as a varsity tennis player. He finished second in district this past season.

“The worst part about balancing my time is not being able to stay awake,” he said.

Guynes said that eating right helps him stay awake, he also suggests sacrificing some social events to make time for studying.

“I definitely shouldn’t have gone to every home soccer game,” he said.