College athletics are special. No question. They offer an intricate blend of tantalizing forces that soothe our hunger for the unity of a community by ladling out a delectable stew of youth, promise, and passion to the craving mouths that sit upon the necks of higher education.
College athletics are powerful. They force social evolution through the uncomfortable yet construc- tive confrontation of race, society, class and gender. They explore issues by raising difficult questions about the blurred lines of purity and professionalism, wealth and privilege, education and sport.
College athletics are entrancing. They mesmerize us with the images of kids coming of age on the sports field; coming of age on an experimental ground of learning - a place where faith, identity, and dreams are put on line, where limits are pushed, where failure is confronted, where losing happens, and despite those formidable encounter, confidence is instilled.
College athletics are dynamic. They are fast, explosive, ever-changing and constantly growing. I heard a great quote recently that “growing up is about wildly pursuing your dreams while learning how to fail confidently.” Sport teaches this lesson unlike any other teacher, forcing kids to confront their deep-seated fears of failure, and to grow, dynamically, in courageous spite of that fear.
It is this very confrontation that makes the iconic image of a triumphant college athlete so captivating. It is the image of the victor hoisting the prized trophy above their head, a euphoric smile brightening their face, as their eyes shine in the realization of a long sought after dream. The image sends a shiver up our spines because of its purity; somewhere inside of us, we know the eyes shine because the journey was not easy.
yet, college athletics, and the eyes of the champion, are under scrutiny. We sense the purity, yet we seem to negate it, because we cannot draw our vision away from the extravagance of the trophy and the business that has been built around these kids. our mind wanders to the abundant spoils of victory, and the expectation of those spoils even when victory is not achieved. We see the gear, the fame, the benefits, and the privilege. We judge the student-athlete, and the entire entity of college
athletics. We discredit it, and in doing so we discredit the kids, and their efforts.
Hannah Dawson, a University of Michigan Junior Field Hockey player voiced this sentiment: “I sometimes feel that being a student athlete, other students look down at me for it. They do not under- stand its demands. They look at all the perks, free clothes and scholarships.”
yet, the life of a student-athlete, especially in sports like field hockey, is not all glitz and glam. Dawson admits that she dedicates 60-65% of her time to sport related activities and the rest of her time to school related activities.
Dawson admits that, “the most challenging aspect (of being a student-athlete) is the balancing. There is less time to take care of your body (diet, sleep, etc.) and school work, while still maintaining a healthy social life.”
She admits that she, “manage(s) these challenges by taking life one day at a time. I try not to let myself become flustered with all of the different demands.”
Perhaps this is a coping mechanism she learned from her time in the classroom; the high-pressured, stressful classroom called the hockey field. Because in that classroom, where she has learned some of life’s most valuable lessons, Dawson cannot focus on the distractions, the pressure, the fear of failure or the spoils of victory. Like many college athletes, she has learned to stay in the moment, to focus on the task at hand, and to persist through adversity. Because she knows the adversity and the weight of the demands of being a college- athlete make her stronger.
“The most rewarding aspect of being a student athlete is that I have a chance to play a sport I love while also obtaining an education. I think being an athlete has taken me to many places I might not have ever reached. Being a student athlete has helped me become much more mentally, emotion- ally and physically stronger.” Dawson stated.
Dawson’s experience at the University of Michigan encapsulates all that college athletics is: special, powerful, entrancing, and dynamic. The preservation of the purity of that experience is an integral part of safeguarding the magic of college sport.
rdawson9@gmail.com
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