Have you ever found yourself in the dilemma between training for your sport and focusing on your school work? What if these two options were complimentary to each other? The cégep Champlain-St. Lawrence is trying to prove just that with their new pilot project called Gator, which will allow student-athletes specializing in baseball and golf to go down to Florida for over two months all while virtually remaining in school.
In years past, athletes in diverse “sports-études” programs traditionally found themselves in warmer climates for a period of a week to ten days, a way to get away from the winter weather that is not conducive to training in their sports. This ambitious project concocted by the cégep will blow that notion out of the water. From February 5th to March 29th, Those in the baseball program at Champlain-St. Lawrence will be in Cocoa Beach, Florida, while the golfers will find themselves in Orlando as well as other areas south of the border until April 20th.
“Outside of their training and their studies, there are no other distractions. These kids will be able to experience a tremendous amount of outdoor training. We want to be able to speed up their development without hindering their academic responsibilities,” explains Jean-Philippe Roy, who will head the baseball group along with Patrick Scalabrini of the Québec Capitales.
“The two-and-a-half months on the road will also help these kids to learn how to be independent. They’ll have to properly manage their time. It’s a positive influence that can stay with them for the rest of their lives,” adds François Langevin, who will handle the golf group.
Many advantages
Evidently, the 15 baseball players and eight golfers who will head down south will have a chance to be noticed by American colleges. For baseball, games against colleges are scheduled. For golf, participation in the Future Collegiate World Tour will open some doors.
“The baseball world makes its way to Florida this time of year. After 10 years of coaching, I can tell you it’s been dreamed up, it’s been an evolution,” says an excited Roy.
But only the serious and motivated students will find themselves soaking in the sun in order to develop their athletic abilities.
On top of the over 40 hours a week dedicated to sports training, the kids will have to complete 10 hours of class work along with 10 hours of studying.
“No one is coming down here so they can waste time on Facebook. These kids aren’t here on a formality. If their grades don’t keep up, it’s over,” says Roy.
An exciting opportunity
For the kids involved, it is a grandiose adventure. The Champlain-St. Lawrence cégep program has definitely attracted some curious observers and will continue to do so.
“This program is the reason why I came to study here,” says Carl Cousineau, a young golfer out of Montreal. “I had heard about it and immediately I said to myself ‘I’m in!’ I see it as an opportunity to get further ahead on the road to where I want to be.”
It’s a similar feeling on the baseball side of the equation.
“The goal for us is to be noticed by American colleges, and we’re getting closer to that goal. To get noticed is a clear indication that we’re ready for the next level,” says Marc-André Blouin.
Still in its initial stages, the Gator project, the first of its kind in Québec, will continue to grow in scope within the next few years.
“Eventually, we see this program being accessible to high school kids once we see the results coming in during this initial stage,” says Langevin.
“We’re going to give this thing a year and if it’s successful, we’ll start working on recruiting,” adds Roy.
