All of our sports are extremely different – whether it be season, team size, gender, practice schedule, lifting – but every single one has time commitment in common. Small class sizes, invested professors, and challenging courses are what keep students dedicated to their academics, athletes well included.Īlthough SMC makes it a priority and necessity that academics stay the most important aspect of the student-athlete's life, I feel as if many students, faculty, and the community in general still do not know just what exactly it means to be a Division I athlete at this school. It is the culture fostered here at school. But our athletes not having a guaranteed professional playing career after graduation is not the reason why they perform well academically. SMC does not continuously send a large amount of athletes to professional leagues, although we proudly do have our few. If being a student-athlete teaches you one thing, it's time management. But does it take away all of it? Absolutely not. Does this take away time that we could be studying? Absolutely. Add in training room time before and after, and you've got up to five hours a day of required and non-required time devoted to athletics. Yes, we have two hours of practice and an hour lift even in the off-season. Speaking from my own experience, it was very clear from my first moments here at school that academics were the priority. But SMC is more importantly unique in its preservation of the student-athlete. Not only are we in Division I, but we can compete with these traditional powerhouses, as we have proved time and time again. SMC is extremely unique in its size and Division I classification – most schools similar to Saint Mary's are at the Division III level. While this undoubtedly happens, this taints what it truly means to be a student athlete. Many schools are in ongoing trouble with the NCAA for academic violations – students go in place of the student athletes for test taking, inflation of grades and the intimidation of teachers who refuse to do this – the list goes on. While the latter is constantly a controversy at schools throughout the nation, the former is true here at Saint Mary's, as it should be. On the other, many are thought to have the easy way out in terms of academics – their sport is the priority, and anything school related falls by the wayside. On one hand, a student-athlete is thought to have two full-time jobs – stressful academics and physical and time demanding athletics. When a Division I student-athlete comes to mind, two common perceptions are brought forward. TikTok video from Саша Шепфочка □ "I cry when I look at them. TikTok video from anndelta3145 "□Tap original sound - anndelta3145.
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