The process of committing to a school is not as simple as one may think, and it ultimately requires a person to be dedicated to their sport and willing to take extra steps to achieve their goal of commitment. For soccer player Howard Henderson ’20, the process was more centered toward finding a school that fits for him, and one that will foster a supportive environment, which ended up being Macalester.
Henderson shares, “after you take the extra steps needed just to become noticed by the coach, from there you need to start to figure out which coaches and schools fit you best as an individual. Whether that be the academics of the school, the location, the coachís coaching style, the general personality of the coach, and the culture of the team.”
Once you are committed to a school, the college process doesnít stop, it’s just altered. The pressure of school is reduced, however, there is still a level of academic success that needs to be upheld. Joe Mairs ’20 who is committed to play tennis at Middlebury, explains that “it made me have to think about college a lot earlier than my classmates. I had to make some tough decisions about where I wanted to attend college in the summer before my senior year.”
In contrast, for Ali Fine ’20 the college process began in eighth grade, but since her commitment to play soccer at the University of Wisconsin-Madison she felt as if a “huge weight was lifted off [her] shoulders,” but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have to try anymore. She states, “due to this, not only do you have to maintain and improve your skills in your specific sport but you also have to maintain their expected GPA.”
In relation to team dynamics, the individual players and the team prospers. Mairs explains that “it’s definitely a relief. It allows me to focus more on developing my game. I don’t need to play as many tournaments which allow for me to spend more time practicing and improving things that take longer than a few practices to fix.”
Similarly, for Henderson and Fine, they both feel more motivated at practice and during games because it gives them confidence and motivation.
