Athletic Academia — Be Impressed
As will be seen in the Chico Enterprise-Record on Friday, the CCAA named 36 Chico State athletes as All-Academic Award winners. This is a pretty big deal, if for no other reason than that it gives fans some perspective on how difficult it is to be a student-athlete. Consider how much harder it is to excel at both, though.
Now, to be a varsity letterwinner is no easy task, but let’s face it: Not every athlete is created equal. The ones that really impress me are the ones listed in the article (Katherine Bagwell, Jade Smith-Williams, Cody Dee and Erica Brick) because they’re top-flight competitors not only in the CCAA, but in the whole Far West/West/Pacific Region(s).
Not sure why they’re not the same regions for every sport ... anyway.
A couple semesters ago, I had a sociology class with Smith-Williams (I hate having to say this, but don’t be freaked out; I’m just really good with names and faces) before I knew her on any level. Chico State wasn’t my beat yet, but obviously I figured out who she was in time. The next semester, when I went out to Acker Gym to do the women’s season preview, I chatted her up a second for her take on things.
“How’d you end up doing in that Kaiser class?” I asked her. Then she kind of shrugged and nodded her head, probably because it’s bad etiquette to just knuckle someone’s teeth when you think they’re inferring the obvious.
“Oh, I got an A.”
The way she said it just gave me the impression that she fully expects to give that answer any time anybody asks her about something school-related. Now, I’m not familiar with the curriculum of college athletes, and I’m sure at larger schools it’s just as cake as everyone implies it is, but it’s not like she has some gimme degree. She’s a criminal justice major (there’s that creepy memory again) and she excels in it — clearly. On top of that, she is arguably the best point guard in the region and one of the best in Division II.
My point is that there is a lot to like about people who are more multidimensional than they appear, and for 36 athletes at Chico State to qualify for this award is pretty impressive. I consider myself a pretty motivated individual, but I pick my battles — these Wildcats fight ‘em all, and win.