Students balancing school and sports

By Amos Johnson

The life of a student athlete requires a certain amount of time-management skills.

Student athletes will often approach their coach telling them they can not make it to a certain game or practice because they are busy with their classes.

The coach is very understanding about these situations, knowing what it is like to be a student working to get through school.

“That time commitment puts a strain on the (student-athletes) ability to study often,” said Jimmy El-Turk, who is the women’s volleyball coach at St. Clair College and deals with this situation on a weekly basis.

He studied human kinetics and sports management at the University of Windsor while playing men’s volleyball for four years and understands the balancing act students face.

“They have a set schedule and it forces them to sit down and manage their time better,” El-Turk said.

Maddison Connolly is in her second year playing for the women’s volleyball team at St. Clair College while studying Biomedical Engineering. “I like it (Biomedical Engineering) a lot. The only thing I find tough is the math and physics side but it is a good program for sure,” Connolly said.

Connolly is in her second year at St. Clair and was already familiar with juggling school with sports when she attended Centennial College in Toronto.

Connolly said getting their practice and game schedule really helps her to plan out what she can work on for the week.

Student-athletes are eligible for scholarship programs as long as they maintain a 2.0 GPA with no failed classes. Connolly said one skill she has developed is knowing how to manage her time.

“As they get older they get better at it. The rookies struggle and the veterans are better students often times,” El-Turk said.