Balancing two passions: exploring how living things work and athletics.

We often talk about balance in graduate school, and, of course, this is for a reason! As graduate students we are passionate in our field(s) of study which is expressed through our eagerness to explore, learn, troubleshoot, repeat... But science & research may not be our only passions. For me, my passions are school and athletics.

We often talk about balance in graduate school, and, of course, this is for a reason! As graduate students we are passionate in our field(s) of study which is expressed through our eagerness to explore, learn, troubleshoot, repeat... But science & research may not be our only passions. For me, my passions are school and athletics. Long story short – I played indoors and beach volleyball competitively for about 8 years (or more?), and studied Marine and Environmental Sciences as an undergraduate student. I love volleyball, it’s such an amazing game – it’s smart, technical, powerful, exciting, intriguing, and a team sport (just like science!!). During my undergrad at Hampton University, I was fortunate to be able to combine playing NCAA D1 volleyball and studying sciences. When I graduated and started my Master’s journey, I was left without athletics. I immediately redirected my passion for fitness and joined CrossFit gym: an intense, fun, deeply bonded group of amazing people. Everything was in balance again!

From left to right: me snatching, me doing a memorial workout “Murph”, PUSH511 CrossFit community in Baltimore (my CF home), and me pedaling hard (its basically an evil bike -love it).

Staying very active is part of my lifestyle. Getting to the gym to do an intense workout is absolutely crucial for me to stay composed and balanced mentally and emotionally. Sports just make me a better, happier, and healthier person which, I believe, increases my overall productivity and quality of life.

Photos from my masters studying juvenile striped bass. Investigation of prey capture performances (black and white photos) and swimming metabolism (middle).

I can draw parallels between my two passions – in both science and athletics there is always room for improvement, I am never good enough to stop progressing, I have an internal drive to perform better next time (me vs yesterday’s me battle), and I am accountable to my community of fellow athletes and scientists. Because my two passions often follow similar trends, it’s like a “combined” motivation ride! The more stressed I am because of school, the more I feel a need to go “crazy” at the gym to get my mind away. The better I performed at the gym, the more I want to go back to the lab or office to do some work. Pretty weird. Sometimes, it can be hard to trade time and energy between science and fitness. There are many times when I ask myself, “Should I really go to the gym now? Is it ok to go workout instead of staying in the office to get more work done?” Graduate school is my primary responsibility, and there is always work to be done, a “feeling” that I am not doing enough. So, yes! There is an internal conflict and guilt. However, I try to remind myself about “balance in Grad School”. These two parts of my life are vital to who I am.

Luckily, both communities are endlessly supportive. While both environments can be tensely competitive (e.g. in science: number and impact of publications, research grants, fellowships, research ideas and skills; in sports: strength, speed, skills, even aesthetics), but both be CAN be VERY encouraging, promoting, inspiring, and selfless. Strive to find it! Of all the good things about science and athletics, the communities and their support are the main reasons why my love towards both can only grow.

Eliason Lab in the field (Cultus Lake, Canada) studying Coho salmon. I make fish exercise in the swim tunnel too :)

As a first year PhD Student at UCSB, I am still adjusting to my life in Santa Barbara, always making an effort to succeed in science and stay fit!

@eliason_lab

@push511

@crossfit

#KristaKraskura #athletics #crossfit #fitness #science #fish #balance