By Daily Staff Reporter Gerard Cohen-Vrignaud
"It takes a lot of dedication," Erbeck says. "You think, 'I could sleep if I didn't do this sport.' But once you get to practice, all you think about is rowing. I've always wanted to do it - to a reach a goal."
Making time
In terms of hours, playing an intercollegiate sport at the University is very demanding of athletes. Organizing the days in such a way as to efficiently use all the time requires discipline and hard work, coaches and student athletes said.
"Everything is more structured," Erbeck said. "You just don't have the time to hang outside your dorm room talking to people like other students."
Through their years at the University, student athletes become experts at finding the time to do their homework. When weekends come around and many teams travel the country, bags are not only packed with hockey sticks and paddles, but with books and pencils as well.
"When I used to travel with the teams, I would always be surprised to see how they studied on the buses, in their hotel rooms," said Amy Carlton, assistant director of athletic media relations. "They're like any other college student."
Squeezing out every minute out of every day for academics and athletics means student athletes have little time for what many other students take for granted - socializing.
"We sacrifice free time and our social life," said Marie Barda, a Kinisiology sophomore and pitcher for the Michigan softball team. "We rush ourselves all the time. It seems like other students have more time on their hands."
Excelling at sports not only demands a huge time commitment, but also physical energy. At the end of a two-hour practice, student athletes, tired as they may be, have to start doing their homework.
"There's a lot of time management involved," said Ryan Kelly, an Education senior and a pitcher for the Michigan baseball team. "You're doing a lot of physical exercise. It's hard to stay up late and study sometimes."
The NCAA limits the amount of time student athletes can practice to 20 hours of week, but many said a commitment to the sports program requires extra time.
Whitney Scherer, an academic counselor for the Student Athletes Support Program, likens the extra time athletes devote to their sports to the homework that is expected of regular students.
Academic pressures aren't the only stress student athletes face, Carlton said. The glare of media attention on the field can sometimes be overwhelming.
"There is more pressure because they are athletes," Carlton said. "Being in the spotlight certainly is more stressful."
Expectations to perform well athletically not only come from the outside world, but internally from the University and the Athletic Department.
"There is pressure," said Carol Hutchins, Michigan softball team coach. "The coaches here are expected to win and produce good citizens. We are fully accountable and so are our athletes."
Student athletes are also not immune to the pressures of envious classmates. From the Nike-branded sports paraphernalia to large scholarships, student athletes enjoy many privileges.
"As an athlete, you're visible," Hutchins said. "People make assumptions. They do get privileges, but they pay a price for them."
Spending time on the field, some athletes said, means sacrifices in the classroom.
"It takes a lot of time away from academics," said Steven Lawrence, a Kinisiology junior on the Michigan cross country and track teams. "It's a big balancing act. It's not just the time. Most guys need a solid eight of sleep."
DANA LINNANE/Daily
Michigan women's track coach James Henry (center) supervises student athletes yesterday at Ferry Field, as
hurdlers and runners warm up before practice.Amateur athletics,
major league academics
Unlike many other sport powerhouses, the University is equally well-known for its academic standards. For student athletes attending the University, physical toughness must share the stage with mental dexterity.
"The Athletic Department really stresses the importance of excellence in academics and athletics," said Dwayne Fuqua, an LSA senior and president of the Student Athlete Advisory Council, the NCAA-mandated organization that represent student athletes on campus. "When I came here for a recruitment tour, I met the person who was going to be my academic adviser. That makes a strong statement."
Many people involved in the University's athletic programs said the Athletic Department encourages students to follow their own academic dreams. No major is too tough for an athlete at the University.
"It means sacrifice from both the coaches and the academic units," Scherer said. "There are some majors that are very difficult for student athletes. Organic chemistry is one. The lab is only available in the afternoon, during practice time."
Other schools, some contend, find it easier to meet the academic standards of the NCAA, a minimum of 2.0 GPA and 12 credits a semester, by keeping their athletes in "special" majors.
Nonetheless, tomorrow's football starting lineup includes 11 out of 22 student athletes enrolled in the Division of Kinisiology.
The sport
of scheduling
As a way of ensuring the academic and sport success of its student athletes, the Athletic Department has taken a decidedly firm approach.
First-year students are required to participate in study halls from four to 10 hours a week and can receive tutoring on request. Scherer estimates a majority of athletes take advantage of the tutoring help, but adds such services are available to non-athletes through other departments.
"To me, this is one of the best programs to support student athletes in the country," said Cynthia Reynolds, acting director of SASP. "What we do best is to work with faculty to give student athletes the support they need."
Most teams hold their practices in the afternoon so members must schedule their classes before 1 p.m. or 2 p.m. Student athletes do not receive special overrides for classes from professors, Shearer said, but must talk to professors on their own.
Sometimes the Athletic Department also helps pay for athletes' textbooks. As part of their scholarship package, some student athletes receive the use of textbooks for free. They must present their student athlete cards to a bookstore to receive their texts, which must be returned at the end of the semester.
DANA LINNANE/Daily
A tired Justin Goble, an LSA sophomore, studies accounting yesterday. She is a varsity member of the crew team. Players for life
More than winning games and getting good grades, being a student athlete brings self-confidence and maturity.
"Being athletes cause our guys to grow up sooner," said Geoff Zahn, Michigan baseball coach. "Because they lead a more disciplined life than regular students, we occupy time, which means they have set to their priorities."
Sports also give women the edge to compete in a male-dominated world, Hutchins said.
"Especially for women, being involved in athletics gives them self-confidence," Hutchins said. "Fewer female athletes are abused by their husbands or get pregnant very early."
The qualities athletics develops in students also serve them well when entering the job market, a particular concern for those who do not have professional sport aspirations. A common figure cited by Athletic Department officials is that only 1 percent of student athletes become professionals.
"From what I hear, people really like having Michigan players in their businesses," Kelly said. "People in the business community can understand the sacrifices student athletes have made."
While the prestige attached to Michigan athletics can sometimes help student athletes looking for jobs, their lack of work experience, a result of time pressures, often make their resumes look less impressive.
"It's a double-edged sword," Fuqua said. "Because of the time and dedication students have put into their sports, they don't get the job experience employers look for. Being an athlete gets you a foot in the door but it doesn't stop it from being slammed in your face."
For the love of the game
Asked whether they would ever give up athletics for the freedom of regular students, most athletes resoundingly stand by the choices they have made.
"If you ask most of these guys whether they'd rather be sitting around the dorms or playing baseball here, I think they would pick baseball," Zahn said.
The bond that forms among teammates also has its own rewards. Shared physical labor seems to transcend words. Most athletes said they hang out with their teammates, not for some elitist reason, but for the feeling of common understanding.
"Our team is really close," Lawrence said. "Seven of us guys live together. When we're not traveling together, we'll do things together. You can understand your teammates because you know what they're going through."
And like much of the nation, many student athletes enjoy watching sports with a few friends.
"There are about 13 of us who have season tickets for football," Kelly said. "Sometimes, we'll gather at one of the guy's houses to watch what's happening with Sosa and McGwire."
Academics find an ageless passion in books, and athletes find that sports are one passion that won't fade with time.
"I'll probably run for the rest of my life," Lawrence said.
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