I've posted a number of times on the topic of student-athletes, whether related to the challenges they face, the benefits that will pay off for them later in like, or breaking some of the myths and stereotypes about student-athletes. It's a topic I can share about easily based on my involvement as a varsity coach but today I thought I would try an different tack and write a little tongue in cheek post about some non athletic /academic realities that on the surface will seem both funny and amusing but that will hit even close to home for athletes and student-athletes.
The one common theme that I have always addressed in prior posts about being a student-athlete is that beyond the apparent perks, it is demanding and hard work to balance all the requirements that come with being a student-athlete. These unique individuals have to balance school and practice schedules, all the while starting a career, having a social life and somehow still have time to eat and sleep. Something has to suffer right? During the season, it's often the social life; in the off-season, the dynamic changes as more time is spent on fitness and preparation but the demands while there are different. And as stressful as it seems, the balancing act builds character. Many of the student-athletes I have dealt with have had thoughts of walking away and just focusing on school at some point or other. Every student-athlete feels a sense of being overwhelmed and not being able to get through it but when their university career comes to an end, they look back at wonder how did it go by so fast and miss it. Regardless of the sport, the university, the team dynamic, I am sure that there are a few scenarios that every student-athlete can relate to and remember with some level of amusement. 1. The Smell I can remember my parents talking about this one a lot and are probably the individuals who know this the best, but athletic gear holds smells forever. Your shin guards, goalie gloves, knee pads and basketball shoes and pretty much any item of sports gear will always smell some sort of dead animal left to rot. This is particularly true during training camp , with multiple daily sessions, fatigue preventing anyone who actually doing decent laundry, There's no way around it. And try as they might, no amount of Tide Plus will remove the years of sweat soaked into its fabric. 2. Ridiculous Team Group Messages Technology has really changed team dynamics. It's beyond a coach sending out update emails with updates on the schedule, games, lines etc. Athletes can now set up team pages or group chats via various platforms that sometimes don't even include the coaches. The intentions for group pages are generally to have a way for teammates to communicate instantly. Of course the group message is primarily used for practice times, team meetings and whatnot, but occasionally, someone will throw everyone for a loop with a screenshot of an ugly Snapchat or a random video. Then the team will all have an inside joke. 3. Fitness Testing Time This means different things for basically every sport. There are a collection if different tests that coaches will use to verify the fitness levels of the athletes. If teams are like ours, the first day of training camp involves a bunch of tests right at the start. We as coaches, spend the entire summer reminding athletes about the important of fitness preparation and how we will be testing and that failure to perform may have consequences on being selected or playing time. Rarely have I had athletes telling me how much they are looking for to fitness testing. For most student-athletes the shared opinion is that it sucks. And the second ar coach says the words fitness testing fight or flight kicks in, and I'm sure some athletes wonder to themselves what would happen if they just ran away and never came back. In fact it actually has happened a few times. 4. Dry Season These are two words that most student-athletes hate. Not every team has them but...... Drinking in university is normal. I won't say whether it should or shouldn't be, but it is. And the vast majority of the every school's student body spends some nights enjoying alcohol, partying and staying out late. What is a student-athlete doing? Sleeping. Obviously teams do go out when it's appropriate, like during the off season, but during the season, a lot of teams are not even allowed to look at alcohol, better yet be in its presence. Like anything else, it isn't about not drinking an occasional adult beverage but about make the good decisions that will allow a student-athlete to excel in their sport. 5. Team Wear Athletes get a certain amount of team wear in school colors. Some items are more popular than others. Most teams with have some type of travel wear that they use when heading out to games, warm up and practice gear, cold weather jacket, rain jacket etc. Wearing team wear is a symbol of belonging to a group, of being teammates, but let's be honest for a lot of athletes, nothing beats a comfortable pair of sweats and a hoodie. 6. The forgotten items Every team has experienced that moment just as practice is about to start and the coach looks around and asked no one in general " Who was supposed to bring out the ball ( or the cones and pinnies". Every athlete looks around, waiting for someone to reply. There are generally a couple of athletes on every team who will instantly volunteer to run back to the team room to get the forgotten items.... but sometimes a coach will saying " no one brought the balls today, well I guess we will be running". With our team, the captains generally plan out a detailed schedule of who brings what to each session, but each season, something is forgotten a few times. Every team has at least one person who packs for a game without really paying attention They just grab whatever feels right, and never open the bag again until they arrive in the locker game pre-game. Then they choose the worst time to whisper to their captain or a teammate " I think I forgot my ( insert item here). Or often, since we have 3 sets of game uniforms, someone will have brought the wrong color socks. So now the captain has to scramble to find a solution hopefully without having to tell the coaches or causing the forgetful teammate to not be able to play. 7. The team punishments Nothing brings a team closer like getting in trouble together. Sometimes, as an athlete, an individual forgets that they're a small part of a much bigger organization. Every thing they say or do is a representation of the school, athletic department, teammates and coach. So when one falls overboard, hopefully all feel the obligation to jump in and save them. That's what being on a team is about. No one should ever be able to watch one of their teammates suffer, and stand by idly. It's often moments like this that bring a teammate together. These are just a few examples, but I am sure ask 20 student-athletes for some fond and amusing scenarios and you can get always as many different replies. I have often told my student-athletes, that years after they have stopped being student-athletes, they will rarely remember specific games or scores but will always remember some of the special moments and amusing stories that they shared with their teammates. Friendships developed as student-athletes are often the most enduring. ask around, I think you'd get confirmation about this.
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AuthorAfter many years of coaching at various levels and with different teams, I thought I would share some of my experiences and thoughts about coaching. Archives
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