Some student athletes at Durham College (DC) are mastering the art of balancing sports and studies.
Jonas Felix, a setter and outside hitter on the mens’ volleyball team, has practice, conditioning, weight lifting at the gym or a game every day. On top of that, he has a full course load in the Fitness and Health Promotion program.
He said managing it all comes from making an effort.
“So, whether it’s in the sport that you play or in your class, you need to apply yourself and put in that effort,” he said.
Sherlon Chance, the coach of the DC’s women’s basketball team, stresses the importance of good time management.
“Time management, just manage your time,” he said. “You know when your classes are, you know when practice is, you know when you have to work. So, everything should be organized and put into a right order and, if you do it that way, there shouldn’t be any excuse.”
Onika Leveridge, a forward on the women’s basketball team, attends practice or a game almost every day of the week, while also managing her studies as a third-year student in the Behavioural Science – Honours Bachelor degree program.
“My first year was very hard,” she said. “Coming in, sports, like in high school, it’s different. You have time off, it’s not during the weekend and it’s not every day practice. So, it’s was definitely a big adjustment.”
Leveridge said there are also plenty of resources available.
“There are a lot of resources, like coaches and people who will help you, and they are pretty willing to let you go to class on time,” she said.
There is a separate Academic Success Centre for varsity athletes at DC and Ontario Tech University on the second floor of the Campus Recreation and Wellness Centre (CRWC).
As well, three pages of the Student Athlete Handbook are devoted to strategies and resources to balance school and sports, and excel at both.
Athletes need to keep a 2.0 GPA to be allowed to play. They are suspended if it falls below 1.50. Athletes who fall between 1.50 and 1.99 are put on probation. They are only eligible to participate again once they have met with academic advisor, Mike Duggan, and made a plan to improve their grades.