Swimmer Molly Dengler, top scholar athlete from New Albany, Ohio.
Throughout North America, there are thousands of stories of athletic and scholastic achievement that, while there might be a brief mention in a local newspaper or school website, will not be recognized on the major sports sites. To receive recognition as both a scholar and an athlete is a stellar achievement.
As any college student knows, the demands of the academic workload become overwhelming by the second week of school. Each professor believes that his or her course material should be the student’s priority and all the readings and assignments reflect that. For the student who participates in a collegiate sport, there are additional demands, including practices, road trips, team meetings, games and countless details that are part of participation. Often, studying means a short time with the books in the locker room, on the bus, in the hotel room or whenever and wherever a few minutes can be found.
Added to that are the physical demands of athletic participation. At times, an athlete’s body goes beyond physical exhaustion. The main focus is to recover for the next practice. The classes, assignments and readings might seem endless. For the student athlete, it takes strategic planning and meticulous time management to do a load of laundry. Such everyday chores must be fit into the week.
The recognition of the scholar/athlete is a tribute to their effort, dedication and spirit. Even more remarkable, some of these student athletes reach this high standard of academic excellence year after year, for which they should be rightly praised.
Catherine Forsythe
