Diego Politis, a three-time Academic All-Canadian and a two-time Ontario Univerisity Athletics (OUA) All-Star leaves the Ravens men’s soccer team after a successful three year career as a defenceman with the university. The Charlatan talked to him about his education, career as a Raven soccer player and aspirations for his future.
Q: What got you into the engineering field?
A: Most people, they’ll tell you in high school they loved math and all of the sciences, for me personally, I wasn’t very good at math in high school. I didn’t love a lot of the classes I was taking, but you know, I was pretty good at biology, at chemistry, decent at math … the thing with the the biomedical electrical engineering program was that it was a mix of science and math courses and courses specific to engineering, and so for me, it seemed like the best choice… I am really happy that I went into it because it provided me with a very well structured degree when I graduate.
Q: Do you plan on continuing with soccer or do you plan on having a career as a biomedical electrical engineer. Maybe both?
A: Yeah, it is a difficult question for sure. It is definitely something I’ve been thinking a lot more about now that I’m in the last year of my undergraduate degree. The thing is, I have been looking to also do a master’s degree; it is definitely an option that’s on the table and doing a masters in biomedical electrical engineering or electrical engineering is something I’ve been considering for a while now. But … I could potentially join the workforce right away or maybe take some time off, do some travelling after I have the degree under my belt.
Q: Do you know where you want to go with this career once you are finished you undergrad?
A: I don’t know if I want to go into software, I know for sure that maybe one year I want to try to go to a high-tech company, do a year there and then settle down in a job in Ottawa. As part of my degree, there were 16 months of co-op experience [with MDS Aero] and during that time, I worked as an aerospace engineer and I really enjoyed it… It was really engaging. I may even go into that field as well. I feel like I have a lot of options that are out there with this degree. I just have to decide as time passes which one I like the best.
Q: How did you balance work, school and soccer?
A: My entire degree has been like this. One of the most under appreciated aspects of being a varsity athlete and doing the engineering program is about balancing and being successful in both. I think it’s one thing to balance both and be an average athlete and get average grades but it is a different thing to be successful in both. To me, being successful on and off the pitch is one of the things I’ve been fighting for. The way to balance it, for me personally, it is mainly work ethic … And if some days, you have to study until 2 a.m., you study until 2 a.m. If you have to study five hours a day, you do that. There is no leniency for going out with friends and playing video games. You need self control and you need to say to yourself: “I’m going to sit down and study and after I am done everything else, I can have a day off to decompress and relax.”
Q: What would be your advice to other university athletes balancing a heavy workload?
A: Stick to your schedule that you made for yourself. You have to first be okay with dropping a lot of things that other people don’t want to drop out of their lives, like going out with friends very often. You still can and I still do with my girlfriend, and some of my close friends, but a lot less. You also have to drop video games. I played video games a lot in high school, but not once in my four years of university. There is no time to. You have to know if you’re okay with that, and if you are, then definitely this program is something for you.
Q: How did it feel winning the OUA Championships this year?
A: Winning the OUA championship was one of the best moments in my varsity career. It was a long time coming. In my first and second season, we made the OUA finals and we lost both those games to the same team, the York University Lions. There was a sense of urgency in the locker room, when are we finally going to beat this team? When are we going to go to the next level? Winning the OUA provincials was a big goal for the team and winning the OUA championship this year against York University was such a relief and there was a feeling of joy of getting that trophy, getting that medal, getting that banner for the university, it felt amazing. It was fantastic.
Q: Were you an avid soccer player outside of high school and university?
A: Before I joined the varsity team, I was with the Ottawa Fury my first few years of university, I was in their senior academy. At the time, you couldn’t play varsity and with the Fury, so I was training with the Fury full-time and after my second year with the Fury’s senior academy, the academy folded completely and so it was a no brainer for me to make the switch over to Carleton.
Q: Who has inspired you and helped you balance everything you need to do?
A: My parents are my biggest motivators in my life and they inspire me. For example, my dad works as an aerospace engineer, and it’s not to say that he pushed me into engineering, but he comes from a small village in Greece, of 300 to 400 people, he immigrated to Canada when he was doing his master’s degree, here at Carleton University. I have been to the village and to see where he came from and to compare it to all the success he has had in his career, has been one of the biggest motivators for me to push myself to be as successful as he was.
Q: Did your teammates add anything to your soccer career?
A: I think as a team aspect, you have to realise there is only so much you can do on your own … we have a very good group of guys who are at a very high level of play, so when I look at it strictly from an athletic perspective, playing with guys who are top quality players has pushed me to become a better player. You know, you are not allowed to slack off during training and if you are slacking off you are going to hear it. The coaches and your teammates push you to become a better player and that is what I think this team has done: everyone has pushed everyone to be a better player, and it has shown in our results, especially this year… I am very grateful for the professionalism that a lot of our guys show on a consistent level.
Q: What would be your most memorable moment playing soccer for the Ravens?
A: There have been a lot of great moments, both on the field and off the field, like when the team travels to away games, there are always many amazing moments on those trips, but without a doubt the best moment was winning the OUA provincial championship this past season. That gold medal is something I will have for the rest of my life and means a lot. My parents came to that game, they were watching me, it’s honestly something I am going to remember for a long time. I’m very grateful for that moment.
Q: Who’s the best player you’ve ever played with or against?
A: There are a lot of games I can think of where I played against amazing players, there were a few very talented players on the Montreal Impact’s reserve team, we played against the Ottawa Fury many times, and they have many good players. Carl Hayward, their captain was fantastic and he is very troublesome to play against because of how dynamic he is … that is what you want as an athlete, you want to be challenged and a good way to do that is by playing other amazing players around the league. There have definitely been many games, at nationals, playing the Fury, in the PLSQ all star game, where I have played against amazing players.
Q: During the bronze medal game at nationals this year, you had a penalty called against you which led to the game-winning penalty kick. Do you believe it was justified or a bad call?
A: Oh yeah, that was a heartbreaking play. I think it is a debatable thing … but I think it was the call that had to be made and there is no changing it. It was definitely a tough one though. When you look at the nationals tournament, there were some very high highs and some very tough lows. I think what was more difficult for the team and me personally was losing the semifinal game against UQTR when we felt that we should have won. We knew that we had the team to do it, but sometimes bounces just don’t go your way, so that was the toughest game personally. It was a tough pill to swallow. It was a very emotional loss … you grow from it and I think that is the biggest thing. You learn from your mistakes as a person and a player and it helps you get better. It was a tough moment, but you eventually move on from it and you learn a lot from it.
Feature image from file.
