Part II in a series: Do you really want to be a college student-athlete?

Get over this major hump and you can be on your way

Ah-ha! The question of the day: Do you really want to be a college student-athlete? Are you truly prepared for the demands on your time which college athletic programs typically require?

High school athletes everywhere, like you, are sequestered in a bubble. Surrounded by an admiring public that lives and dies with their local team’s wins and losses, you are the focal point of their attention. Pats on the back are a daily occurrence. All this attention is wonderful, so enjoy it. But it is crucial to realize that it can create, to a certain degree, a false self identity. Be proud, yes. Appreciate the moment, yes. But when college rolls around, a different reality will set in which will redefine your position in the sports hierarchy and test your metal as an athlete and as a person.

College athletics are demanding. In many cases the school is, in essence, paying you to play through athletic scholarship awards which are real dollars and cents. It is not play money. So, coaches want something in return for that payment. They want you to be transfixed into a cog in their wheel. And, they want you to bring your A-game every day to workouts, practices and contests where their very livelihoods are at stake. You control their future as coaches.

To meet those lofty expectations, it is on you to “get it” from Day One. And getting it means accepting your position as a newcomer to the team. Your role as a college freshman is not even close to what it was as a high school senior. As a first year college athlete, you are literally starting from scratch all over again. Put behind you the heady praise and accolades of the past few years. That has merely served to get you in the position to become a college athlete. Yes, you have earned the privilege to be there. But, the mistake you can make is assuming that participating in college athletics is a right instead of a privilege. Rights cannot be taken away, privileges can and accepting that premise will serve you well.

College coaches control your athletic life and in some cases they also control your academic life. As a freshman, it is your responsibility to earn their trust in both settings.

Athletically, you can create trust by arriving on time for workouts, practices, meetings and contests. Don’t underestimate the importance of this. Being on time genuinely establishes and builds trust. Tardiness tears away at trust. If you want proof, be late and see in stark terms the consequences you will encounter, and suffer. You won’t like it. Once there, giving your best effort is an absolute. Coaches know that as a freshman you will have a lot to learn. They know it’s all new to you, for the most part, and making mistakes is part of that process. If you are giving all-out effort while making missteps here and there, you will get some slack, that is, for awhile. But, if you don’t hustle, listen and work hard to execute the coach’s concepts and objectives, you will find out what intense scrutiny really means. Sound a bit scary? It’s meant to.

Academically, initial trust is tied to one thing — going to class every day. Since grades are unknown, the only thing which coaches can go on is your willingness to go to class. Failure to do this is another biggie with coaches. If you cannot muster up the wherewithal and self-discipline to man-up in the classroom, what’s the point? To remain eligible, you are required to do well in your subjects and the first step in achieving that goal is to be in class every day.

These are key issues to consider as you decide if you are ready to commit to being a college student-athlete. There are no shortcuts. Every college coach will expect these things from you. And you will have to be an adult once you set foot on that campus. If this is not an environment in which you can thrive, don’t waste your time, your parents’ money and the effort of college coaches who may want to recruit you. But, if you have it within yourself to stand tall and maturely accept the challenges, you are on your way to experiencing something which is special, rewarding and life altering.