It’s hard not to marvel at the skill and dedication of student athletes. Balancing school, sports and social life isn’t an easy task.
With commitments all over the place, scholar-athletes are often faced with critical time-related decisions. Should I go out tonight or do my required reading? Go to the gym or the library?
But there are some decisions our athletes shouldn’t have to make – like what’s more important, failing a class or playing in your final collegiate soccer game.
Regrettably, that’s a decision that one USM athlete had to make. And it should never happen again.
After four years of conditioning, weight training and the tireless balancing act of school and sport, a senior on the men’s soccer team was pinned against the proverbial rock and hard place.
In a class where six-absences of any kind results in automatic failure, this young man had missed four classes due to sport-related events and one for personal reasons.
Teetering on the brink of failure, he had no choice but to forego his final soccer game, a quarterfinal match in the ECAC tournament.
Of course, there is an important variable to this entire equation: the student himself. But having been in this person’s class on at least one occasion, I can speak without reservation that he does everything that is asked of him.
He is up-to-snuff on the material. He participates in a substantive way. And he never allows soccer to serve as an excuse for anything.
What this unfortunate incident demonstrates is a couple of things.
1. This athlete clearly has his priorities in the right order, a testament to not only him but also his coaches.
2. There is a fundamental flaw in the system.
Needing certain classed to graduate with a degree in English, this player had to pick and choose his classes wisely. He needed to make sure soccer wouldn’t prohibit him from being in class on a regular basis, while making sure that his other obligations can be met.
But, because of class scheduling, there was little he could do but take this required class in a less-than-desirable time slot.
It’s hard enough to get the right classes and graduate on time when you’re not playing a sport. I can only imagine what its like to be completely pigeonholed by the system.
Some of the onus has to be placed on the student, too. Open lines of communication are the only way to avoid a situation like this. The student should take it upon him/herself to make sure they’re not at risk of penalty and should exhaust every possible option before enrolling in a class that could conflict with their athletic schedule.
In the end, though, it’s a matter of understanding and respect for both sides. Students should respect the expectations of their classes and understand the seriousness of falling short of those expectations.
Likewise, there should be a level of respect and understanding for the impressively multi-faceted lives our student-athletes lead.
Since the Huskies lost 3-0 in that game, the results of a conflict that could have been resolved are slightly amplified. And the looming question “what if?” seems to resonate the loudest.