F ALL 2015
P AGE 5
Colleen O’Neil: Diving Right In at LSU
AHS Alumna balances swimming, school and southern hospitality
Jenny O’Neil
Contributor
According to one definition, success is
“the accomplishment of an aim or
purpose” (Oxford English Dictionary).
Colleen O’Neil, my older sister and
Abington High School alumna (Class of
2013), fits this definition in many
ways. O’Neil is a student athlete at
Louisiana State University (LSU), a
member of the South Eastern Conference. The SEC is the top swimming
conference in the country, and she
placed in the top 15 at the SEC, and
was ranked top 30 in the country at
the NCAA Championships in her
respective events: the 100-yard
breaststroke and the 200-yard individual medley. Swimming is her passion,
and it is what has led her to be so
successful in life thus far. “LSU offers
me a good balance between academics
and SEC athletics,” said O’Neil. Many
aspire to be able to pursue this kind of
school and lifestyle, and although it is
extremely challenging, O’Neil and
many others who are student athletes
throughout their college careers reap
the rewards.
The challenging lifestyle of a college
student athlete, or a student athlete at
any level, is something only those who
live it can empathize with. O’Neil
took this writer through a typical day
in her life. “I wake up at about 5 a.m.
for weights and swimming practice
from 5:45 to 8 a.m. From about 8:30
a.m. to 1 p.m. I have classes. Then at
1:45 p.m., I have swimming again
until 4 p.m. Finally, I have a class or
two at night between 4:30 and 6 p.m.”
This does not seem like a schedule the
average person could bear to live with,
though O’Neil said that having roommates that are also swimmers or divers
helps her balance this unique agenda
because they have the same schedule as
she does. “Scheduling homework and
study time is easier with them surrounding me. We all make sure that
we have enough sleep to perform each
day.” O’Neil also believes that the
difficulty of balancing Division I athletics and academics is not fully understood. “Those who do not participate
in an athletic activity do not understand that it requires really big time
management throughout the day. Also,
being able to deal with, often times,
the lack of sleep and physical fatigue in
our classes makes it extremely hard to
do well and focus on academics. Eating
the right foods is also necessary for
student athletes, and there are many
social sacrifices that are required for us
to do well.” The social and family lives
of a student athlete are much more
difficult to maintain then the lives of
those who do not participate in a
sport. O’Neil said, “I only get to see
my family six weeks out of the whole
year because of how expensive flights
are and my training schedule at LSU.”
O’Neil’s transition to the move half
way across the country was made
easier because of the team atmosphere
at LSU. “As a freshman, I walked in
and had an immediate group of 50 plus
friends. My athletic advisers, trainers
and coaches helped me ease into living
by myself in the south.” All of these
aspects in O’Neil’s life are trying, but
the lifestyle is also very fulfilling.
O’Neil would describe her life at LSU
to be “exciting, rewarding and
uniqu K