Brown may not always be at the forefront of college sports fans' minds, but with a student population comprised of 14 to 16 percent recruited players in addition to dozens of walk-ons, the Brown community certainly boasts its share of student-athletes. Playing on a sports team poses unique challenges to students. In addition to facing the normal challenges of college life, they also confront jock stereotypes and time management issues.
Combating the Jock Stereotype
Elvina Kung '05, who is the co-president of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee and just finished her volleyball career at Brown, believes preconceived notions about athletes sometimes affect their experiences.
"I think there are mainly two groups on campus (concerning) the way athletes are perceived," she said. "There is a group that perceives us as jocks and that we don't belong here ... and that we don't do anything other than sports."
Kung said she has met people who would "talk crap about athletes" and then reassure her by saying "you're not one of them."
She said there is another group that "really understands student athletes and that they are not here just because of sports."
According to Kung, most Brown athletes are as concerned with their academics as non-athletes. "If you think about it, this is just the Ivy League and not the Big East," she said. "Most people who play here are not going to go professional."
Kung emphasized that Ivy League students do not receive athletic scholarships. She said athletes are not here to finance their way through college, but to receive a good education while playing a game they have a passion for.
Sandra Idehen '05 also believes there is a stigma surrounding athletes. Idehen was on the women's basketball team for three years, after walking on as a first-year. Even though she enjoyed the experience, she said she sometimes felt tension between her teammates and her friends outside of basketball.
"They felt some hostility coming to hang out with (me and my teammates)," she said.
She said her friends might have felt intimidated by the close relationships her teammates had developed.
For some in the sports community, concerns about how others perceive them affect life inside the classroom as well. Kung said some athletes never admit to a professor that they play a sport because they think it will be frowned upon.
Not all student athletes believe that jock stereotypes are a problem at the University. Softball player Courtney Jenkins '07 said she doesn't think they are an issue at an academically rigorous school such as Brown.
"We all have a common bond," she said. "We are ultimately all here to learn."
Jenkins' story illustrates the importance many athletes at Brown place on a stimulating intellectual environment. Drawn to the academic opportunities here, she took the initiative in "recruiting" herself. As a high school junior, Jenkins made the initial contact by sending out letters that detailed her stats and the awards she won, even going so far as to send in a video of one of her softball games. She was ecstatic about being accepted by her first choice, Brown.
Chazz Woodson '05, a member of the lacrosse team, also said the general stereotype of jocks, while sometimes applicable at other schools, doesn't hold true for Brown. According to Woodson, although athletes at other schools might not have to work as hard, at Brown everyone must meet the same standards, athlete or not.
Like Jenkins, he was attracted to Brown's academic prestige. As a prospective student, he believed that "playing for an Ivy League school was significantly better than playing at (a school like) Delaware."
Striving for Balance
Another challenge facing student athletes is the ability to juggle their team, class and social obligations. For Nick Hartigan '06, a running back for the football team, "It was tough balancing at first ... but it got better" after his first year.
Woodson agrees that the transition between high school and college sports is not easy. "Between the running, the workouts and practice ... it is a much larger time commitment," he said.
Jenkins credits her experience playing softball in helping her learn how to organize her schedule. "When you have a more rigorous schedule," she said, "you know when you need to work. You learn to balance through basic time management."
Some athletes choose to end their sports careers in order to re-balance their time commitments. After deciding to stop playing basketball this year, Idehen was initially concerned about how she would spend the extra time.
But Idehen said the change was easier than she thought it would be. She now has enough time to have a job as well as participate in campus activities in which she could not take part in the past because of practice. Also, she has been able to maintain her friendships with her former teammates. "My relationships are the same," she said. "The people I was closest to (on the team), I am still very close with."
Ashley Bernius '06 made a similar decision. She had been playing forward for the women's basketball team for two years before deciding that it was best to pursue other activities.
"I had lost passion for the sport," she said. "I have found out that I am generally much happier (since leaving the team). ... I have more time to do other things."
It was not an easy choice for Bernius, who had been playing basketball regularly since the age of 5. "It was the toughest decision of my life. ... The talk with my coach was tough. I knew I was disappointing her but she supported me ... and that was consoling," she said.
"You have to set your priorities," Kung said. She said for many athletes, social life takes up much less time when they're in season. But she said she thinks it is important that athletes make the most of their time when they can.
"There is so much you can learn through life experiences in general," she said.
