As a college athlete, being able to balance a demanding athletic schedule and stay on top of one’s studies in the classroom is no small feat.
Try adding being a full time student while also being in a serious relationship with another athlete.
This type of relationship means two sets of hectic schedules, different in-season schedules, traveling schedules and trying to fit in homework, friends, and, of course, sleep on the side.
The dating dynamic for athletes who date other athletes is something that goes unnoticed by most people and underestimated by how difficult it can be to balance a relationship along with being a full-time student and athlete.
Clayton Martin, a sophomore sports management major, is a center midfielder on the Union men’s soccer team.
Martin has been dating McKinley Tribble, a pitcher on the softball team and a sophomore elementary education major, for just over a year.
Martin and Tribble met during their first semester at Union in the Fall of 2012 and became close friends until a romance sparked later that year.
Tribble describes her relationship with Martin as one that is understanding of one another and stronger because of that understanding.
“Dealing with two completely different athletic schedules is definitely crazy and hectic, but I think it has ultimately made our relationship stronger,” Tribble said. “Given that his sport is during the fall, and mine is in the spring, it does make it tough that one of us is extremely busy in the fall and the other in the spring.”
In a relationship like Martin and Tribble’s, learning how to balance those schedules is manageable but does take a lot of time and patience.
“I do think, however, that we do very well at understanding each other’s busy-ness and are good at attempting to see each other for a little bit each day, whether that be only 10 to 15 minutes. It makes the time that we do get to see each other special, so in my opinion, that makes it worth it,” Tribble added.
Matt Kesler, a sophomore philosophy major, is a goalie on the men’s soccer team and is a teammate of Martin.
Kesler has been dating junior nursing major Abbey Wainwright for about a year.
Wainwright is an outside hitter for the volleyball team.
Kesler and Wainwright met through a mutual friend last year and have been dating ever since.
Both Kesler and Wainwright play sports that are during the fall, which can make creating time to see each other difficult.
“Balancing both of our schedules is hard, but as athletes, we have both learned how to manage our time pretty efficiently,” said Kesler. “Therefore, we try to set aside an amount of time almost every day to spend together, whether that be at lunch, dinner or catching up for 15 minutes at the end of the day. Every little bit counts.”
Catching each other for a quick bite seems to be popular for both couples; each tends to have “Cobo” or “Lex” dates frequently in order to fit in time to see each other.
Both couples also seem to appreciate the time they have with one another because much of that time is very limited.
“I have learned to really appreciate the time we have with one another. I definitely appreciate the time we get to spend together event if it is just for a few minutes,” Wainwright said. “Understanding one another this way has made both of us more flexible in our schedules and more responsible in balancing different things.”
Martin also added a bit of insight to how he and Tribble appreciate each other and value the time they spend together.
“Through the tough times of trying to manage everything, we have really given everything to God and trusted in him that he will direct us in the right way,” Martin said. “We always make sure that he is the living stone of our relationship. God has blessed us with each other, so we thank Him for that by giving our relationship to him.”
However, dating another athlete is not solely focused on balancing one another’s hectic schedules; many positives to dating another athlete on campus exist.
“It is nice to have someone as competitive as me (or more) to be around. We have a ton in common when it comes to athletics, and we both like anything involving sports,” Tribble said. “Clayton is also very hard-working and committed to everything he does, and I see this in our relationship as well as in soccer, which is something that means a lot to me.”
Kesler said this: “I enjoy that my girlfriend is athletic. She enjoys watching other sports with me, and we enjoy going to Memphis Grizzlies’ basketball games together, which is always a good time.”
Along the same lines as Kesler, Martin also finds dating another athlete to be awesome but took a little more of a practical approach.
“With both of us being college athletes, it teaches us a lot about how life might be in the future,” said Martin. “We are both going to be so busy with jobs and everything; it teaches us how to manage our time effectively and not get so worked up about the little time we get to spend together.”
Martin added: “It is tough that we are both so busy, but I wouldn’t want it any other way. Our relationship is stronger than ever and we are busier than ever. It all comes down to how you use your time and making sure the time you do get to spend together is genuine quality time. Quality over quantity in my book.”
