NEWS
Playing the system
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Also by Alex Brousseau:
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- Snow clearing may improve (December 7, 2007)
- Sports restaurant opening Aug. 1 (December 5, 2007)
- Fire highlights safety needs (November 30, 2007)
- Picking up the pieces (November 16, 2007)
Related Stories:
- In-Depth: Competing against time (December 8, 2005)
- Study finds disparity between boys' and girls' breakfasts (October 3, 2003)
- UW nets $6.1 million from BTN (November 19, 2007)
- UHS offers tips, treats to help students deal with finals (May 5, 2003)
- You are what you eat (April 8, 2004)
by Alex Brousseau
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Sophomore Jasmine Jiles wakes up at 7:30 a.m., eats a
healthy breakfast, goes to class until 2:30 p.m. and then heads to hockey
practice from 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. After practice, the whole team eats together
at the training table, and then she heads home to study for the rest of the
night.
The life of a student athlete is hectic and demanding.
According to Jiles, athletes practice for more than 15 hours a week, including
weekend games. Students also participate in extra activities such as biking and
running to stay ahead. However, for all their devotion to the University of
Wisconsin, student athletes are given much in return.
One of the major benefits of being an athlete comes in the
form of scholarships that, according to Justin Doherty, director of athletic
communications, cover an athlete’s tuition, room, board, textbooks and extra
fees associated with being a student.
“I have a full scholarship,” Jiles said. “I live in Canada,
so the only thing I pay for is my ticket home and back. The university covers
the rest.”
According to senior hockey player Jinelle Zaugg, athletic
teams are given a certain amount of money to be used toward scholarships. A
student can receive anywhere from a full scholarship to one covering just
tuition, or just books, depending on how many scholarships a given team decides
to dole out.
Another valuable privilege student athletes receive is early
registration. This allows students to schedule classes around required practice
times.
“It depends on the status of the player, but we usually
register two or three days before, though you still barely get into all the
class you need,” Zaugg said. “Also, we try not to schedule class on Fridays
because of games and travel time.”
Athletes are also given full access to exclusive academic
facilities, including the Phetzer Center at Camp Randall and the Kohl Center.
“The Phetzer Center is awesome,” Jiles said. “It has our
academic advisor so we can talk about which classes to take and such. It also
has tutors for any class. There are study tables and a computer lab, all for us
to use.”
These academic advisors also facilitate another athlete
benefit — taking exams on the road.
“They have been helpful facilities as far as helping the
student athletes keep up in school,” Doherty said. “The combined cumulative
grade point average of all 23 sports as of fall was 2.983, almost a B average,
which is pretty incredible.”
Athletes are also covered medically by athletic training
rooms and trainers located at every facility.
“We have a trainer, and if she can’t help us — for example,
I needed to get an X-ray on my wrist — there are doctors that work for the
school, and we get to see them right away, with no wait,” Jiles said.
As for equipment and athletic gear, UW athletes are required
to wear only Adidas, the company that sponsors all the sports teams.
“Because we are required to wear all Adidas, the school
provides us will everything we need including shoes, equipment and such,” Zaugg
said.
They are also given “fun stuff,” according to Jiles, such as
sweatpants, sweatshirts, hats and “things you see students wearing every day
around campus.”
When it comes to traveling across the country for games, the
university makes sure they are well taken care of.
“If the game is less than six hours away, we take a bus, and
if it is more, we take a charter plane,” Zaugg said.
According to Jiles, along with the ticket, athletes have all
their meals paid for and are given spending money during their time off.
As for back at home, athletes are usually fed after practice
at the training table. However, if no meal is provided after practice, athletes
are given vouchers to restaurants around campus, including Ian’s Pizza, Noodles
& Company and Buffalo Wild Wings. They are also given food vouchers on
their day off, according to Zaugg.
Perhaps the reason athletes are treated so well, aside from
their devotion, is the revenue they bring in for the university, particularly
in sports with high fan attendance.
“Men’s hockey, football and basketball generate the most
amount of revenue in ticket sales,” Doherty said.
According to the U.S. Department of Post Secondary
Education, men’s sports generated $55 million and women’s sports generated $5
million for UW in 2006-07.
Overall, student athletes at UW work very hard and are given
many benefits to help them academically and financially.
“We’re spoiled,” Jiles said. “We get treated very well.”
Anonymous (January 30, 2008 @ 12:54pm):
Food vouchers? Come on!
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