Alicia Hayes, a Hawks Rugby 7s back who is also an Addiction and Mental Health student, said she has struggled with balancing her athletics and classes.
“I have felt exhausted trying to balance classes and game preparations as I also work a full-time job and have other obligations,” Hayes said.
Balancing student life and sports can be stressful for varsity students, especially as the fall season goes on as preparations for upcoming midterm exams and OCAA championships.
Their routine can bring anxiety and exhaustion into their lives and for that athletes can use resources like the varsity academic coordinators and wellness coaches, who are provided by Humber College.
Brandon Deans, the 2022 OCAA pitcher of the year who is studying Police Foundations, said varsity academic coordinators and wellness coaches have been instrumental in helping structure an athlete’s schedule.
Hawks pitcher Brandon Deans pitches in game against Centennial as he also handles assignments for his Police Foundations program. Photo credit: Humber Athletics
“We deal with our coordinators at the athletics department who help us to build the perfect schedule,” Deans said.
“She sends me the whole list of things that I should do for classes and it’s the best way for me to not miss anything and stay on track,” he said.
Brian Lepp, Humber coordinator of sports information and marketing, emphasized how difficult it is to be a varsity athlete.
Brian Lepp, a coordinator of sports information and marketing at Humber College Photo credit: Angelina Kochatovska
“It’s not easy to be an athlete and a student at the same time,” he said. “Humber College is one of the most successful colleges in sports in Canada so there is a lot of pressure that comes with that but we also have resources to help students be successful in school and in sports.
“We have fantastic support staff here on campus to help students who are struggling and have problems with time management,” Lepp said. “The athletes can work with our varsity academic coordinators to figure out school stuff and assignments.”
He said talking to a counsellor has become less taboo.
“It becomes more normalized, which is good,” Lepp said. “It helps [students] to understand what’s going on, how to change anything, that kind of stuff.”
Despite sometimes feeling stressed about assignments, games and practices, Hayes remembers why she is at Humber.
“I love the sport of rugby and I feel being a Hawk and getting the chance to represent Humber College has made my experience at school so much better,” she said.