Most university students play a balancing game. Every day they try to not fall behind on school work while also maintaining a social life, and usually a part-time job.
That all gets more complicated when the students are also athletes. 5:45 am practices, on and off ice training, and away games are added to the long list of tasks they have to juggle.
Sometimes, those athletes may also want to pursue a career in athletics after graduating.
Carleton University’s varsity program gives aspiring athletes the opportunity to pursue professional careers in sports throughout university while still working towards academic achievement.
Alex Despotovic, a Carleton public affairs and policy management student, said one of the reasons he decided to attend Carleton was due to the success and the tradition of the men’s soccer team.
Despotovic, centre midfield for the men’s soccer team, knew his love of the game would keep him playing soccer in university. He also knew he would have to make personal sacrifices to do so.
“During the season, it seems as if I am doing nothing except for school and soccer,” he said.
In his first year as both a varsity Raven and a student, Despotovic practiced every day and had five games.
“That meant no frosh week,” he said, “It also meant that I didn’t really have the time to consider being in any clubs or societies outside of athletics.”
Kendall MacLeod, in her fifth year on Carleton’s basketball team, said in her first two years, she focused on her game rather than studying.
“I love it more and I’m better at it,” she said.
However, Nordic skier Peter Beisel said belonging to a varsity team means more than a compromise to your academics. He has also had to make sacrifices to his athletic career.
“There are very few professional skiers who go to school or work because the training load is so high, it’s literally a full time job,” the biomedical and mechanical engineering student said. “A lot of the time the guys we are racing against are completely focused on skiing year round, often for several years.”
While Beisel, MacLeod and Despotovic all belong to different teams, they have something in common: they believe the challenges and sacrifices that come along with balancing athletics and academics are worth it.
From varsity teams to the big leagues
For Despotovic and Beisel, pursuing their respective sports in university is a way to keep the door to professional athletic careers open.
“I haven’t ruled out the possibility of trying to play for a small, lower division club in Europe upon graduation if I feel that I have developed well enough to do so,” Despotovic said.
Beisel, an Ontario University of Athletics all-star, said that his focus in university has been to move to a league beyond those governed by the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS). His goal was to reach the Cross Country Canada and Fédération Internationale de Ski levels, which are used for international competition selection.
“I’m lucky that I have been injury and sickness free when it mattered these last few years and now I’m in a position to qualify for World University Games next year,” Beisel said.
Despotovic and Beisel are not alone in their aspirations. Kwesi Loney, assistant coach to Carleton’s men’s soccer team said more students are seeking professional sports careers. Players from Florida, Texas, and even Europe have shown interest in becoming Carleton Ravens, he said.
“The amount of university players wanting to move on to professional leagues is a growing phenomenon,” Loney said.
“Some players are realizing being on the soccer team isn’t just playing soccer, Being on Carleton’s team has opened the door for players to move on to semi-professional or professional leagues,” he said.
Michel Bélanger, manager of communications and media relations at CIS, confirmed many varsity athletes from Carleton, and other schools across Canada, move on to bigger leagues.
Carleton’s hockey, basketball, volleyball and soccer players often go on to play for bigger leagues in Canada, or internationally, in the U.S. and European leagues, according to Bélanger.
It is not the CIS, but coaches, who aid athletes— through the scouting and recruitment process— in moving on to different leagues, Bélanger said.
“Our football coaches association started the East West Bowl about 10 years ago, an all-star game for players going into their CFL draft year. Over the years, it has become a can’t miss event for CFL scouts and general managers,” Bélanger said.
Coaches at Carleton are eager to help athletes reach their goals, Loney said.
“We look to give as much exposure to our players as possible,” he said. “If we have a player with the necessary tools to succeed professionally, we do everything in our capacity to help them.”
Willy Manigat, former Carleton Raven and political science major, attributes his athletic successes, in part, to his dedicated coaches. Manigat currently plays basketball professionally in P.E.I for the Summerside Storms of the National Basketball League of Canada (NBLC).
“The Carleton program is what change my life and gave me all the tools that I needed to advance in basketball,” Manigat said.
“This program means the world to me and I am extremely thankful for all of those who helped me on the journey.”
Manigat said although playing at the varsity level helped him get to the point he’s at, professional basketball adds an entirely new competitive aspect.
“I now play basketball against players who do this for a living and therefore this is their livelihood they play for everyday. No one wants to be sent home,” he said.
When it comes to professional athletic careers, finances are unfortunately a consideration almost everyone has to make, according to Beisel.
“I think it’s pretty safe to say that athletics will not be how I make a living, even if I decide to pursue athletics after school. Even at the highest level of most individual sports there isn’t always enough money in it to make a comfortable living,” Beisel said.
Finances and academics are not the only uncertain aspects aspiring athletes must consider, according to Loney, who played for the Ottawa Wizards, Ottawa Royals, Ottawa Fury and the Ravens themselves before coaching.
“It’s never easy, players bounce around. Only one out of 100 will actually make it,” Loney said.
For student athletes facing financial, academic and professional uncertainty— and for students who are not seeking professional careers— the question remains: why bother with varsity sports?
It goes beyond the sport
According to Despotovic, Beisel, MacLeod, and Loney, sports and athletics are about more than meets the eye.
For Despotovic, it’s about the love of the game.
“I still remember running home from school in 1998 to watch my favourite teams play. It was that love for the game that got me playing in the first place.”
For Beisel, it’s about having an outlet.
“I have a pretty competitive personality. I’ve just always been this active and everywhere I go in the future I’m going to need this outlet. I think that having a big part of my life outside of academics has actually helped me to focus better on both.”
For MacLeod, it’s about finding your way.
“My coach would try and make me tell stories because I was so quiet. He encouraged me to work at a homeless centre, or singing karaoke. I’ve really come into myself. I don’t think I would’ve come this far without being here and having the experience that I’ve had.”
And for coaches such as Loney, it’s about being a role model:
“We’re not just looking to develop athletes. We’re looking to develop well-rounded young adults who possess skills such as time management and accountability that they can take forward in their lives outside of sports.”
