大学运动员的生活是艰苦的, 要求, time consuming and frequently exhausting existence.
实践, 团队会议, 调节, travel and games are coupled with academics and accompanying hours of study and class preparation. 我只想说，这并不容易.
Among those who choose this path are a small handful of student-athletes who want even more. They have a passion for a second sport and are willing to make the sacrifices it requires to compete in both.
Ja 'Daa Wilson就是一个典型的例子.
Wilson has played basketball and flag football at Kansas Wesleyan since arriving on campus as a fresh男人。 four years ago from Crawfordsville, 佛罗里达.
She was a member of the varsity basketball team the past two seasons after two years on the junior varsity. She has played flag football since the program began four years ago and is constantly on the field as a defensive back and wide receiver.
Away from her athletic endeavors Wilson pursued a major in Pre-Athletic Training and will receive her degree during graduation ceremonies May 11.
没有一个人, 从威尔逊开始, 会说这很容易吗, 但她做到了，这要归功于她的自律, perseverance and a big assist from her coaches.
“There were a few times when I was tired,” Wilson said, “但 I worked through it. It’s something you have to do if you’re going to play two sports. I tried to not let it bother me and did the best I could.”
她的努力并没有被忽视.
“Being a college athlete is not for everyone, especially a dual-sport athlete which is something special,国旗橄榄球教练梅林达·阮说. “Just a lot of time 男人。agement, commitment, priorities, communication – it’s a huge balancing act. Ja’Daa found that sweet spot where you can balance both.”
“Just watching her show up every day and play hard and give everything she has for her teammates and coaches, that’s something when you say Ja’Daa Wilson that I will always remember,” women’s basketball coach Ryan Show男人。 said. “Her approach was wanting to be really great, whether it was academics, basketball or flag. She poured everything she had into all three areas.”
沟通是必不可少的, particularly during the times when activities in the two sports overlapped.
“She always did a great job of communicating with me, 我们总是意见一致,Show男人。说. “我从来没有拒绝过她. 我知道国旗有多重要, I knew how important she was to the flag team and I wanted to be able to work with her because that was part of the deal we talked during the recruiting process.”
“当然, there are times when you get overwhelmed and that’s when the communication comes in, and she does a great job communicating with me. ‘Hey, I need a day, a mental break’ and I can put it in,Nguyen说.
Wilson has played basketball as long as she can remember 但 didn’t take up flag football until her fresh男人。 year in high school. 她立刻被迷住了.
Her passion for both convinced her to enter the Pre-Athletic Training program. 她不确定, 虽然, where her career path will go and is considering her options – returning to play flag football for a fifth season being one of them.
“I want to stay involved in sports in any aspect I can,”她说。. “It might be in training, or it might be in coaching. I feel like my personality is really good for coaching. I love to help and give back to my community.”
Athletic training remains a possibility, as well.
“It’s really just doing what’s best for the athlete before and after the game so that they can perform at their best,”她说。. “每项运动都是不同的. You’ve got different injuries; you’ve got different techniques. It just depends on the athletes’ preference and where their injury is.”
“A student-athlete who graduates is in a really great position, 因为他们做到了平衡,Nguyen说. “They’ve done academics on top of hours and hours of film study and practices and games and all of those skills translate.”
For Wilson, the path to success was clear early on.
“It starts in the classroom – you’re a student first and then an athlete,”她说。. “You have to get into your books and make sure your grades are good. All of our teachers and professors are really good at teaching us and getting us hands-on experience.”
Nguyen and Show男人。 have no doubts Wilson will succeed.
“College is supposed to be that middle ground between school life and real life,Nguyen说. “I think being an athlete is a perfect prime example of having to learn those life skills early on. She’s got a great wide range of experiences, so she can explore whatever she’s interested in and succeed at all of them.”
“我知道这并不容易, 但, 男人。, Ja’Daa made it look easy and I think that’s a tri但e to her and the person she is,Show男人。说.
故事作者:鲍勃·戴维森
