ACADEMICS VS. ATHLETICS

So which is a better attribute? Academics or Athleticism? Are they equally important or does one rank above the other? As a student-athlete I would say both of them are worthy of great investment if you can excel in both areas. I believe that all athletes should be more than just what the physcial body exudes. The mind of any living being or creature is the most important thing that exists. So why not use what we have to enhance our circumstances. Academics or athleticism is a great thing when it comes to a college education because by being good at either one, more than likely it can help pay one's way through many years of learning. If you combine a good student with a great athlete you ultimately end the equation with a free (paid for) education and if not free a partially free education. I grew up in a low-income neighborhood where I was surrounded by many poor schooling systems, lots of minorities, and lots of violence. Nobody ever really stressed the importance of education to me and how being a great student could have a huge pivotal impact on my life. Often I heard, over and over again, that I should use my athleticism as a way out of my bad environment but I was never told to incorporate the two (academics & athletics). To anyone out there who aspires to be an athlete on any level I would encourage you to know both worlds because it exposes you to a whole new life.

Having the Slight Edge

 

 As a student-athlete I remember at the beginning of every school year, at Illinois State University, our athletic director would schedule a mandatory team meeting for every single athlete from every official sport to attend. Throughout this pep talk he would challenge us to be better than we were the previous year. By the end of this speech he would give us a book that he would recommend for us to read. These common goals discussed in this book could be applied to every aspect of your life whether it was for sports, education, social life, or whatever it specifically may be. So why am I mentioning a life book for a topic that is evolved around the world of track & field? I believe that track & field is only a small portion of what will make us who we are and to understand and get a head start on life we must be prepared to face the many obstacles that life will have lined up for us. The Slight Edge simply shows you how to create powerful results from the simple daily activities of your life, by using tools that are already within you. So this is connected to my previous blog. Elite athletes go above and beyond the average. They create powerful results from the simple daily activities in their lives. Simple things such as; eating healthy, getting enough sleep, making positive decisions, being prepared and doing whatever it takes to stay ahead of the pack, just to name a few. Reading this book and taking the concepts and applying them to your life before you go to college will give you the slight edge over others. You will be prepared where others lack.

WHAT MAKES A TRACK & FIELD ATHLETE ELITE?

In the world of track & field how do we determine what makes an athlete elite? What qualifies an individual to stand above all the others in their specific field of competition? Do these questions have a simple answer? Of course they do. The word elite in itself is defined as a group of people, or an individual, considered to be the best in a particular society or category because of their power, talent, or wealth. Now for those of us who have competed in sports, no matter the type, you know that being considered elite is simply excelling over your competition. In this instance we specifically call those elite athletes those who rank at the top of the field of competition by measuring who ran the fastest times, jumped the farthest or highest lengths, or threw the longest distance in feet. At Illinois State University an athlete can be considered elite in the Missouri Valley Conference but does that make him or her elite on all levels, a level such as the Worlds Championships? Of course cannot because all levels are considered to be different and on a more different level than the next. Being an elite athlete is being a great athlete and being a great athlete is more than just your physical attributes. Bringing something above and beyond the average is what makes you memorable and legendary. Question? Does a controversial scandal make an athlete not elite? For example, for those of you who follow track and field, what is your opinion on the whole Marion Jones issue. In 2007 Marion Jones acknowledged using steroids as she prepared for the 2000 Summer Games in Sydney. She had won five medals at that Olympics and was unhesitatingly considered to be the greatest female athlete in the world at that time. So I leave you with this.....would you still consider her as ELITE?

Confession of Steroid Use