Student Athlete retention when cut from team

greenspun.com : LUSENET : APA Division 47 Exercise and Sport Psychology : One Thread

I am the Varstiy Athletics Counsellor for a college in Toronto, Ontario. At the end of the first semester, the academic standings of all of our Athletes are reviewed. Unfortunately, there are always those Athletes who have not succeeded in their academics and are therefore not eligible to participate in the Varsity Program for the second semester. Far too often the result of this is that the Student Athlete will perform even more poorly in their academics or they will drop out all together because they no longer have the motivation of their Varsity sport.

I am looking for any/all information regarding retention of these Athletes. How do you help them to maintain their focus on their academics when they feel there is no point becasue they cannot participate in their sport?

I am also looking for information from any other schools (preferrably college or university) regarding their academic policies for their Student Athletes.

-Thank you.

-- Susan Deak (sdeak@gbrownc.on.ca), January 16, 1998

Answers

The reason why the athletes quit is because they view life in terms of sport,thus, the participate goes into despair. They need to believe their is more to life than sports. You need to enourage them to study and read. You could show examples of how there is more to life than just sports.

-- Richard Griff (R286@www.hotmail.com), February 16, 1999.

i'm a varsity student athlete, and in our program we have mandatory study hall for all freshmen. freshmen have mentors they meet with about 4 days a week, they help out in time management and organization. then we also have tutors. if we need help in a subject we call up a tutor for that class. we also have weekly meetings with our academic advisors. we report grades, problems, and things that work for us individually. with this type of support system it's hard to fail. academics is strongly emphasized here. one thing i have noticed is that athletes are strong individuals. they don't want to ask for help. that to them is a sign of weakness. well i hoped this kind of helps. e-mail me if you want more details!

-- amy bucek (a.bucek@mail.utexas.edu), April 07, 1999.

As you probably realize, prevention is the key. Try to keep a check on all athletes' standing in their classes, even if it means extra work on your part. This shows the student not only that you think academics are important, but also that you care how they are doing. At the first sign of trouble, step in and require study halls, tutors, ect. Many athletes are receptive to other teamates academic help. If this has not or cannot be done, and the athlete has not met the academic standards, it is important that you stay in that person's life. If you now have nothing to do with them, that reinforces their belief that they are only valued for their athletic ability. Try to find some way to keep them around you, whether it is keeping stats, reviewing game films ect. That shows them you value them as a person and gives them incentive to do better. Good luck

-- lynda camenzind (lyndac@citcom.net), February 25, 2000.

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