BERWICK WRESTLING
Over 50 Years Of Pride & Tradition

       
Why "It Pays" To Be A Smart Wrestler

Anyone who has followed Berwick Wrestling over the years has seen various articles written on the importance of academic achievement for student-athletes.  The philosophy is to adopt the “Champion Mindset” where one’s ultimate goal is to work hard and strive to do one’s best in all aspects of life, and to not merely target achievement and excellence in just one slice of life such as in the sport of wrestling.

Let’s take a small glance at the world that surrounds a student-athlete, specifically a high school wrestler, and why “it pays” to be a smart wrestler.

This article will address the following:

* Opposing views on the role of sports in the academic world
* Myths that surround the student-athlete
* Tips to excel in academics as a student-athlete
* Reality of athletic scholarships in wrestling – pyramid scholarship
* What do colleges really want?
* Why “it pays” to be a smart wrestler

I. Opposing Views On The Role Of Sports In The Academic World

There are 2 schools of thought and I will refer to them as Approach A and Approach B.

Approach A believes that schools exist for one purpose - focus on the delivery of formal knowledge to the student via a defined curriculum.  This approach assumes that all extracurricular activities, including sports, are simply for fun and are not essential components of an effective education program.

Approach B doesn’t disagree with the every aspect of Approach A.  But Approach B believes that essential components of an effective education program extend beyond a defined curriculum to incorporate extracurricular activities, including sports, in order to acquire valuable traits and life skills such as confidence, self-esteem, team and individual participation, work ethic development, goal setting, and other skills that prepare one for life beyond the world of academia.

II. Two Popular Myths That Surround The Student-Athlete

The “Dumb Jock Syndrome”

All major issues that are debated in society normally start off with some truth.

Sports accelerated its freefall into the “dumb jock syndrome” when sports became all about big money.  For many college Division I athletic programs, this big money is measured in millions of dollars acquired through the gate, bowl and championship appearances, television contracts, coaching salaries rivaling professional salaries, and the like that brought college sports into the realm of big business.

Many mistakes were made.  College basketball would not just scour the country, but the planet, in order to find the biggest and best players.  If they lasted only one year before they dropped out, it still meant that player could help the team get to the national championship for that specific year.  College football player profiles exhibited some of the most bizarre majors one could possibility imagine.  The NCAA has taken steps to rectify both the problems and the tarnished image. I believe this motion will continue with even more strict guidelines in the future.

The truth is that a clear majority of studies indicate, at worst, that the student-athlete performs at the same level or above their non-athletic counterparts.  Other studies cite student-athletes have reduced problems with discipline and even increased academic achievement.

A Student Would Do Better Academically If They Didn’t Participate In A Sport

Not necessarily.  Actually, the reverse could be true.  Not only are there studies to support on par or increased academic achievement among student-athletes, there are also significant life skills gained by participating in athletics.

Everything Is Pushing & Pulling

In our society there is a significant amount of “pushing and pulling.”  While moderation is always the key, it is important to note that if one is not being gently pushed in a positive direction then you can be certain that something else will be pulling at the person.  Not all the pushing is desirable and can include focusing on athletic excellence over academic excellence.  Not all the pulling is desirable and includes such things as drugs, alcohol, undesirable friends, etc.  Life is a constant struggle between “pushing and pulling.”

In Support Of Enhanced Academic Achievement Among Student-Athletes

The Center of Inquiry in the Liberal Arts at Wabash College cites results that consistently indicate that:

* Student-athletes perform at or above the norms for their peers on GPA’s
* Student-athletes have retention and graduation rates at or above the norm
* Student-athletes choose majors in all academic fields
* Student-athletes do better in academics during their athletic season

III. Tips To Excel In Academics As A Student-Athlete

"Academics Is Competition.  Approach School With The Same Competitive Spirit”

* Approach school with the same competitive spirit that you approach wrestling.  Doing well academically is all about competition (class rank, GPA, SAT, ACT).  While you can get that great and highly sought after state medal around your neck in wrestling, succeeding in academics could mean “big money” to you after high school.

* Time management is the single most important issue.  Don’t juggle your responsibilities, plan to meet them.  Schedule every aspect of your day especially during wrestling season (7 hours in school, block of time for homework and studying, practices, competitions, weight lifting, running, etc.).  Use of day planner calendars is a great idea.

* Schedule all “future” events such as test dates, competitions, etc.  If on Tuesday you find out you have a test on Friday, but you have an away match Thursday night, make sure to study Tuesday, Wednesday, in study halls on Thursday, and Friday morning before school.

* Keep the motor running until everything is complete.  Stay away from the couch or bed when you get home.  You may think you will feel better after a short break but chances are you won’t feel as good when you try to resume activities.  Get everything done first.  Don’t turn off the motor until you’ve driven and arrived at your destination.

* Instant messaging (AOL) needs to become the least important thing of your day.  Parents need to strictly monitor computer activities and restrict or eliminate certain activities when they infringe on the student’s available time for meeting defined responsibilities.

* Get to bed early.  To do well in both academics and athletics you will need to get proper sleep.  It is even more important “during the season.”  It’s not just the amount of sleep but also the quality of sleep.  Turn the television and computer off before you hit the sack.

* Parents – If your child is consistently an A or B student, make sure the emphasis is staying as an A or B student regardless of whether they participate in a sport, play the flute in the band, or run for class president.

IV. Reality Of Athletic Scholarships In Wrestling – the pyramid scholarship

Certain sports like football and basketball are “head count” sports where full athletic scholarships (full ride) are common (especially if you are 6’4 and 265lbs). 

Wrestling is an “equivalency” sport.  Athletic scholarships can be shared (25% of 1 scholarship to 4 individuals).  I have dubbed a nickname “pyramid scholarship” to a kind of wrestling scholarship that is very popular.  “Full ride” scholarships in college wrestling are rare.

The Confusion – But “So & So Got A Full Ride To Wrestle”

Maybe they did and maybe they didn’t.  Many parents love to tell others their son received a full athletic scholarship in wrestling when in most instances that is either not true or not completely true.  What is normally the case is that the “total package” of athletic scholarship, academic scholarships (college specific, major specific, state specific, national) and financial aid all combined amounts to either a full ride or close to a full ride.

It doesn’t matter because money is money.  But such talk does add confusion to the process especially if you are going through the college recruitment process for the first time.

Important key – the “total package” a college offers is the only thing that matters.  Not one individual type of scholarship may be more important than the other.

Note that Division I college wrestling can only have 9.9 scholarships.  This is “not” an annual allotment that equals 39.6 over 4 years.  It is 9.9 scholarships for any given year (in the room) that reflects the current total of 5th year seniors, seniors, juniors, sophomores, and freshman.

In Pennsylvania High School Wrestling, each and every single year there is 28 state champions, 224 state medalists, and 448 state qualifiers.  A great wrestler quickly finds out they have lots of company just within the state of Pennsylvania.

There are 85 Division I and 39 Division II colleges that “can offer” athletic wrestling scholarships.

There are only 10 weight classes in college wrestling.

A Division I college wrestling coach is going to want to have in the neighborhood of 30+ wrestlers on his team every single year (starters, reserves, wrestler development, enhanced inter-squad competition, dealing with injuries, etc.).  Many Division I wrestling programs are not fully funded by the college.  Maybe the college will provide 4 or 5 scholarships and the remainder is up to the wrestling program to achieve through fundraising efforts.

But no matter how you cut it, to secure talent and stay competitive, all college wrestling coaches have only one choice – slice the bread.  And the bread is scholarships.

There are many Division I wrestling programs that haven’t awarded a full ride in years.  It’s all about math.  Example:  you can have 9.9 kids over 4 years on a full scholarship; or you can have 19.8 kids over 4 years on half-scholarships; or you can have 39.6 kids over 4 years on quarter-scholarships; or any combination therein.

Ivy League colleges compete in wrestling at the Division I level but do not offer athletic scholarships.  An Ivy League Charter, signed by all member schools, set forth academic, financial, and athletic standards.  Ivy League colleges include Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, University of Pennsylvania (Penn), Princeton, and Yale.  The bottom line is that competing at an Ivy League college is still a great opportunity and does not mean you will not receive significant academic and financial aid.  All college awards are usually pro-rated (the more expensive the school then the more dollars you get).  These are normally great examples where the goal is not the “athletic scholarship – wherein this case there is none” but rather the “total package” only counts.  The smarter and/or poorer the athlete is the greater the total package likely will be.

Division II wrestling programs can have 9.0 athletic scholarships.  I’m sure this exists someplace but I know of no Division II wrestling program that can put up those numbers.  My best guess is that multiple state qualifiers and a state place winner mostly likely will see around $1,000 to $2,500 a year to wrestle in Division II.

Division III wrestling programs are not allowed to provide athletic scholarships.  For the most part, Division III follows the same principles of the Ivy League.  If you’re smart and/or poor, then the more they can do for you financially.

You may be surprised at just how many colleges utilize the pyramid style wrestling scholarship.  The above is just an example as structure varies from college to college.  If you were a college wrestling coach, this type of scholarship certainly makes a ton of sense.  If you are a wrestler, then your dollars equate "achievement over time."  That’s not a bad situation and is sort of like getting merit increases in the workplace.  The only time it gets weird is if you are wrestling at the national championship tournament in the round where the winner moves to the top 8 All-American round.

V. What Do Colleges Really Want

Colleges want the smartest and most well-rounded students that exhibit a past record of consistent exemplary academic and social achievement.

Colleges are not always specifically focusing on finding bookworms that lock themselves in their bedroom every night and weekend.  Rather, colleges work hard on finding that “well-rounded” individual that would make the perfect fit to the philosophies and standards of the specific individual college.

To a college, you need to fit them.

Conversely, the college of your choice must fit you.

VI. Why “It Pays” To Be A Smart Wrestler

Simply put, the constant pursuit and acquisition of knowledge is the single most important aspect of one’s life.  It never stops.  It is not only desirable, but necessary throughout the duration of your life.

Another important point is that there will be many times in your life that you will need “to market and sell yourself.”  It may start with the college admission process, rising up the ranks in the military, applying and interviewing for your first job, getting a job promotion, and the like.  Much emphasis will be placed on “your accomplishments.”  Before you accomplish anything, before you even begin your attempt to accomplish anything, you must first acquire knowledge.

Do you want to continue your education in college?  If you do, your academic achievements in high school will play a major role in how much you end up paying for your college degree.

There is one key reality.  The number, availability, and substantive value of academic scholarships far outweigh athletic scholarships, especially in wrestling.

So, if you have attained outstanding academic achievements (high class rank, high GPA, high SAT’s, etc.) then you have a great opportunity to “shop around” with your college applications in order for you to get the best deal.

If you’re a wrestler with outstanding achievement on the mat, and also have attained outstanding academic achievements (high class rank, high GPA, high SAT’s, etc.), then you have an even greater opportunity to “shop around” with your college applications in order for you to get the best deal.

Why?  You have separated yourself from the crowd, even from the crowd of high academic achievers, if you are a successful student-athlete.  You have become a better “sell” and you can “market” your achievements to your benefit.

College wrestling coaches become very attentive when your application profile includes both academic excellence and outstanding wrestling achievements.  You have, indeed, separated yourself from the crowd.

I previously noted that the “total package” a college offers is the only thing that counts.  As an outstanding student-athlete, you have now become “the total package” allowing colleges to combine academic scholarships, an athletic scholarship, along with any other financial aid you may qualify for.  If you work hard to market yourself and shop around to many different colleges, you have the best opportunity to pay the least possible, even nothing, to attend college.

The total cost of a college education is second only to purchasing a home.  You can make it less than purchasing a used car or go on that full ride.  But note that applying to various colleges is a time consuming process where you must be willing to be flexible on “choice and locations.”  But the one thing you’ll find out on your many college visits is that every college touts their own “USA Today statistics and rankings”, has great professors, is really nice, attractive, and unique in its own way.

As a successful student-athlete, through time and diligence, you can turn the table around and make colleges compete for you.

That's why "It Pays" to be a smart wrestler.