The shorter days and the passing of the Labour Day long weekend are all reminders that the summer is quickly coming to an end. They are also a reminder that with the end of summer comes the start of a new school year. Next week I will be returning to the University of Calgary to take three classes, in my continued quest to finish my Bachelor of Science degree in the field of Geophysics. Over the past 8 years I have slowly been picking away at university classes with the goal of someday not only graduating with a BSc, but also to provide myself with the necessary education to enter the job market once I retire from skiing. As I enter my 9th year at University I can finally equate myself to being a '4th year' student, as I only have nine classes left! While most students would easily finish these courses in one year, I will continue my slow progression and take two years, with the plan of graduating in 2009.

With nine years of experience at mixing school with skiing, I have found myself in many different educational situations. I have been a full time student with three or four classes. I have been a part time student with only one or two classes. I have taken traditional courses at U of C and correspondence courses from Athabasca University. I have taken spring session courses that run for 6 weeks and block week courses that only run for two weeks prior to the normal semester. I have also had a very wide range of professors, some who share my excitement for sport and some who don't. From my experiences I have developed a few tips that might be worth passing on to younger junior skiers who are about to enter the life of a student athlete.

There often is a stigmatism in the skiing community that going to school inhibits a ski racers development as an athlete. This notion is very misleading and naive. While the demands of going to school with a full five course load probably would get in the way of training and racing, taking a few classes (1, 2, 3 and perhaps even 4) can enhance athletic ability. Going to school while skiing provides a second focus, something that can come in handy if you didn't make a ski trip you were hoping to make, or are sidelined from skiing with an injury. Over the years I have found that going to school actually increases my productivity and improves my focus in both skiing and school. It is also necessary to point out the importance for ski clubs, provincial sport organizations and our national sport organization to support higher education among ski racers. Retired athletes with university degrees usually have higher disposable incomes than those who do not attend university. The higher incomes of these retired student athletes will undoubtedly equate to more money invested into all levels of sport, whether it is through purchasing ski clothes and equipment or by sponsoring an individual athlete or team. The point is, education plays a very important role for not only athletes, but for sport as a whole.

One of my strongest recommendations to future student athletes is don't delay the inevitable. If you plan to go to university at some point in your life, going to university right out of high school is the easiest time to start. Talking to older athletes, many of them regret not doing more university courses when they were younger. Looking back on my own university career, I know that I could have handled taking more classes as a junior racer and in my early years as a senior. At the time I was very focussed on skiing and convinced that I couldn't do both. The truth, however, is that the time requirements for two or three university classes is similar to the time requirements of high school, and in some cases university can be a bit more flexible. Starting university straight out of high school, or shortly after, also allows you to be in school with your peer group, an experience that is much different than sitting at the front of a first year class when you are thirty.

Once you have made the decision to go to school it is important to pick your classes wisely. Matching easier classes with one hard class and choosing classes with good and understanding professors can make a semester of school much more enjoyable. As a geophysics student, all of my core courses run four days a week with one three hour lab per week. Although this schedule requires me commute from Canmore to Calgary several days a week, I have selected my classes so that I only have one or two core (hard) courses along with one or two easier options. As a result, I often only have to be at school two or three hours a day. Over the years it has been very helpful talking with other students to find out which classes are interesting, which professors are good and which classes or professors to avoid.

As a student who will be missing classes for skiing, it is important to talk to your professors about your situation. In most cases, professors don't mind if you miss classes, but missing tests and assignments is often more of a concern. From my experience, when you speak to your professor about missing a test it is best to provide them with a solution, such as suggesting to write he test before you leave or transfer the weight to another exam. So far, in my 32 classes I have never had to take a zero on an assignment or test because of being away for skiing. I have had professors tell me everything from 'you would do a lot better if you didn't ski' to 'at some point you are going to have to choose between the two', but as soon as these professors see my marks on the first test, they never seem to bother me about skiing again. With that being said, professors are likely to be more flexible for students with A's than those with C's.

There are many other little 'tricks of the trade' that help an make going to school and being a competitive ski racers possible, and many of these skills need to be self discovered. For all of those skiers out there that are heading back to school this fall, good luck and happy studying!