Finding your passion through a sport and being able to pursue it the way that has the most benefits is hard to find. Cole Knuble ‘23 and Maddie Muth ‘23 have found a system that works best for them. These students have a school and sports balance that accommodates them to help them reach their fullest potential in their careers. 

Knuble is a hockey star. On top of being a Notre Dame commit, some of his many accomplishments include being a captain of team USA for the WJAC tournament and leading them to a gold medal, all while being the first American since 2013 to earn the MVP title of the tournament. He is also the leading scorer of his team Fargo Force USHL juniors hockey league.

All of these accomplishments wouldn’t be possible without the sacrifices that he has had to take. Knuble does all of his school work online through East, being able to have this online opportunity allows him to have a lot more time to play hockey. 

“My favorite part about this system is the flexibility it allows me. It is nice to be able to work wherever and whenever I want for it to fit my schedule the best,” Knuble said. 

Even though he gets to work at his own pace and for what works best for him, Knuble still feels like he is slightly lacking in the social aspect of school. 

“Although the flexibility is great, I sometimes miss the structure of in-person school. It is a lot easier for me to focus and comprehend the material when I have a teacher explaining something to me in person,” Knuble said. 

This experience has been extremely helpful for Knuble and his hockey career and has definitely allowed him to pursue his passion for hockey. A few words of advice from Knuble about this system include, “Don’t do it just because you think it’s easier and less work. It is still the same amount of effort,” Knuble said. 

Maddie Muth, a senior who spends her time in Philadelphia pursuing ballet also does all of her schoolwork online. Back in 2018 and 2019, Muth starred as Clara in The Nutcracker at Grand Rapids Ballet. Muth also spent the past two years attending Boston Ballet School and is now spending her senior year at The Rock School in Philadelphia. Maddie also keeps herself very busy in the summers by attending the School of American Ballet in New York City Ballet School, Boston Ballet, and San Francisco Ballet. 

The art of ballet has taken up a great portion of Muth’s life. She is extremely dedicated to her sport and has found a school schedule that can accommodate her needs.

“I am able to dance a lot more throughout the day and not worry about attending in-person classes,” Muth said, “I have more freedom when it comes to when I do school work and where I do it as well.”

Schoolwork definitely can be a challenge sometimes when trying to balance so many tasks. 

“Some effects that my ballet has had on my school work is that I need to be more disciplined especially when we have rehearsals and extra scheduled commitments,” Muth said, “Luckily I haven’t had much of a problem with sticking to my pacing guides.”

Overall, Muth has been able to have a successful balance between her schoolwork and ballet. Having the luxury of this program is not something that she takes for granted, but embraces it to reach her full potential.

“Ballet has been a main focus in my life for a long time. Now being in an environment where I am able to be surrounded by other dancers who have the same passion and dedication as me is truly inspiring,” Muth said.