THEY PERFORM -- IN SPORTS AND IN THE CLASSROOM
In the midst of goals scored, sets made, assists delivered and lock-down defenses on the high school and college level, let's not forget there are young adults that are also involved in writing term papers, going to classes, spending nights reading textbooks that seem to be parallel to the "Never-ending Story".
Balancing the time between athletic practices and events with putting in the work to achieve the grade-point averages that ensure they can get to college and maintain their eligibility while attending universities.
The aspect of the student-athlete has changed dramatically over the past couple of months. The shots, passes, constant running and listening to on-field instructions has been put on hiatus. So has the getting out of bed, getting dressed and getting to class for the sociology class or SPAD lecture at the classroom on campus. The classroom is your laptop or computer now. The actual fields of achievement and endeavor have been closed and it is a scenario where it's individual conditioning, strength and working on staying sharp and in shape for the season(s) that will eventually happen.
"You never know when the situation will come in a match where I'll be presented with this same shot opportunity to help my team score. I want to feel confident and secure in knowing I've taken this same shot hundreds of times and it's going to go in."
This same student-athlete also achieved a 3.0 or better her entire time as a undergraduate. The process also worked off the field. Confidence in knowing that the preparation and work would eventually pay off in success. There are hard-working student-athletes achieving high marks off the field and in the classroom. Let's look at a few.
-- The University of Louisville field hockey team placed 17 student-athletes on the 2019 Zag Sports Tours National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Division I National Academic Squad.
The Division I National Academic Squad program recognizes those student-athletes who have achieved a cumulative GPA of 3.30 or higher through the first semester of the 2019-20 academic year.
Senior Carter Ayars earned the honor for the fourth straight year and is joined on the squad by Biz Allgeier, Alli Bitting, Erica Cooper, AnnMarie Habelow, Mackenzie Karl, Julie Kouijzer, Margot Lawn, Sam Minrath, Mercedes Pastor, Camryn Pichea, India Reed, Meghan Schneider, Katie Schneider, Mattie Tabor, Minna Tremonti and Madison Walsh.
The group, which was recognized during the Cardinals' women's basketball game, consists of student-athletes, managers, trainers, spirit squads and the pep band.
UofL's women's basketball, women's cross country and women's golf received NCAA Public Recognition Awards in the fall for being among the top 10 percent in their respective sports in the latest figures for the Academic Progress Rate (APR), which measures academic eligibility, retention and graduation for student-athletes. UofL athletic teams posted fourteen perfect scores in the most recent single-year APR.
-- SCHOLAR-ATHLETE AWARD: At the end of each sports season, the NYSPHSAA honors those teams and individuals that excel in the classroom. Those student-athletes, teams, and schools work very hard throughout the year and deserve to be recognized for their academic success. To receive team recognition with a certificate, the team’s average GPA for 75% of the roster must be greater than or equal to 90.00. Only students with a 90 or above will receive pins, even if a student with a lower GPA was used in the calculation. If a team DOES NOT meet the Scholar-Athlete Team criteria, the individuals on that team with a 90.00 or above GPA are still eligible to receive a pin and will be considered an Individual Scholar-Athlete.
We salute the scholar-athlete today, and every day that they are out there "making the grade" on and off the field.
Always remember that these college performers are student-athletes, 99% of them will never go "professional"...but will go on to make a difference in our society based on the academic knowledge they have acquired during their time at college.
paulie
xxxxx
I wish to this day that I had been blessed with the means (and the grades) to attend college and look back with somewhat of a regret that I couldn't combine my basketball ability with my book-learning efforts. Purely my fault. I didn't see the need to study back then.
ReplyDeleteMy advice to any student-athlete is to never think you can just "slide through" and not put the work in on studying and the books.
I won't apologize for what I do, stocking shelves at a grocery, but I sometimes wonder how a "Curtis Franklin, MD" or a Curtis Franklin PhD or Bachelor Degree recipient's life would have turned out.
Study.
No one is smart enough to say "there's nothing you can teach me" Learn something new each day. I try to and sometimes the lessons learned are tough and unrewarding but it is knowledge acquired.
Curtis "Proud of the student-athlete" Franklin
learning is good and putting to use what you have learned is even better
ReplyDeleteWell stated Curtis! You may not have a college diploma but you have a lot of wisdom and perspective on life.
ReplyDelete