For the third annual Courier rookie showcase, we鈥檙e back again with update from 麻豆传媒映画athletes who tell us, in their own words, how they've thrived and survived their freshman semester at colleges and universities around the continent.
We didn鈥檛 stray very far from home to catch up with this crew since three of them 鈥� including a swimmer and a basketball guard 鈥� attend UBC. One of these T-Birds, however, was recently competing for Canada at the junior men鈥檚 field hockey World Cup in India. Our fourth rookie is in the U.S., living and studying in Philadelphia.
Read more from the Rookie Showcase of and
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Serena Xue
Hamber secondary graduate and product of the Richmond Rapids now swimming at the University of Pennsylvania with the Quakers
My teammates were all super inviting when I first arrived on the team. Before I even saw any of them, there was already a welcome sign up on my dorm room door as I was moving in.
I've had a pretty good first half of the season. I helped score points at all the dual meets I've been to while also winning my event [WHAT EVENT] at the first two meets. However, our mid-season championship meet was where I went my fastest, and I think my coach was happy with my times at this point in the season.
I've definitely had to adapt to many different changes since being here and I think every day I'm getting stronger because of the amount of work we're doing. One thing that my coach has taught me is how to race better. It's easier for me to get up and go fast now, even when I'm exhausted from a week a full of training and classes.
Seeing how I have many hours of classes and 20 hours of practice per week, it's extremely important for me to make sure I'm balancing everything well. Some tips would be to get enough sleep, fuel your body properly so you're always ready to go, and to remember to take some time and de-stress once in a while. Study breaks are always good!
Personally, I think the biggest difference now compared to being a high school student-athlete is the commitment factor. Before, coaches and teammates wouldn't get on you so much about missing practice, but in college, everyone is in it together, and it becomes really noticeable if someone doesn't show up. However, the team is so much closer because we spend so much of our time together.
My two favourite classes would be Econ because it's what I'm interested and considering majoring in and French because my professor was the absolute best. I usually like switching up where I study. Sometimes I'm at the Huntsman building, sometimes I'm at the Van Pelt library, sometimes I'm at athlete study hall, and sometimes I'm just in my room.
I'm currently living in a newly constructed building in a four-bedroom suite, so I get my own privacy but at the same time I have three other roommates. By looking at my room, you'd learn that I'm organized and I try to maximize productivity because nothing is ever out of place and I try to keep everything pretty basic.
Going into the city centre with friends is one of my favourite things to do during the weekend. There's always some sort of event going on, always new places to visit, and the shopping is always good. Getting off campus gives me a good breather before the week starts back up.
I tried Philly cheesesteaks for the first time, but considering we had them for three weekends in a row, I got pretty sick of them pretty fast.
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Thomson Harris
Kitsilano secondary graduate now playing field hockey for the UBC Thunderbirds and training with Canada on men鈥檚 national junior team
For the UBC team, the rookies often get addressed as "rookie" in a friendly way and we often end up with the odd jobs such as picking up the balls or cones. We also do a lot of Old vs. Young competitions in our training. "Young" is not exclusive to just rookies, but is a fun way of competing with your teammates. 听The rookies got a warm welcome and were made to feel a part of the team right away by everyone. It was a pleasant environment to play in from the first time we walked on the field.
I was very happy with most of my performances during the last couple weeks of September leading up to when I was injured at the beginning of October when I got hit by a hockey ball and broke my jaw.
My game has improved by the amount of high-level hockey I got to play during my first semester. With UBC, it was my first time playing in the 麻豆传媒映画Field Hockey premier league consistently. The junior national team also trained a ton during the first semester which helped my game.
I am predominately a midfielder, but my UBC coach has played me in the back field from time to time whereas I was picked for the Junior World Cup team as a forward. This has made me a more diverse player and I am more comfortable everywhere on the field because of being played in different roles.听听
What helped me most during the first semester was pre-planning and taking a lighter course load, which allowed me more time for training and school work. Beyond that, staying disciplined and prioritizing study and training helped me. I did, however, still fall a little behind on my school work while dealing with my broken jaw.
The biggest differences I find is living away from home and the off-field aspect of being on a varsity team. The training load is largely comparable to what I dealt with in high school, but it feels very different coming back to a dorm and not home after a training session. Being a part of the varsity team means spending time with the team in other ways than training. The UBC group are a really fun bunch of people to spend time with.
For the first semester, I did a part of the Arts One program. Arts One is equivalent to three courses but with one professor and it is made up of less classroom time and more reading and writing. I have been really enjoying this program as the reading list is interesting and the discussions are always engaging. As to where I like to study, I haven't found a single place I go back to on a regular basis. The most regular place I study is at the AMS Nest.
My dorm room is fairly messy and it鈥檚 fairly evident I play field hockey as there is kit often strewn around the room.
I have been really enjoying the time I get to relax with friends or family during the time I have to spend not focusing on field hockey or school.
I haven't eaten anything that I have huge preference for or aversion against. The only exception is the cafeteria soup, but this is because I ate this exclusively for two weeks straight after I broke my jaw.
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Izaiah Ugoalah
Churchill secondary graduate now playing basketball at UBC with the Thunderbirds
The team and staff welcomed me with open arms when I signed in January. I personally felt that I was part of the team when I got to put on the uniform for our home opener.
When traditions come to mind, ordering complicated drinks at Starbucks and complaining about how much it rains are two popular ones that out-of-province students might have picked up in their first few months here, but being a Vancouverite myself, I鈥檝e ordered tall, half-sweet, soy matcha lattes from a young age.
My best performance to date has been the first game we played against UBC Okanagan. My jump shot felt really good, I thought that I was playing good defense, and everything just seemed to click.听
听My coach has taught me a lot about trusting the process. Results might not come instantly but over time, you will start to see improvements. I just need to strive to be a little better every day.听
It can get pretty hectic when you have to balance school and basketball. We have awesome people who hold study hall for us twice a week, and that has really been the kryptonite to all my stress about schoolwork. Also a tip for any prospective students is to never ever, ever study in your dorm room.
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Lauren Caswell
York House graduate and product of the 麻豆传媒映画Pacific Swim Club now swimming at UBC with the Thunderbirds
I was so anxious about sleeping in the first morning practice that I was wide awake and ready to leave for the pool at 4:15 a.m., even though practice was scheduled at 5:30 a.m.
The UBC swim team promotes a team-first philosophy. Several team-bonding and social events are scheduled in September. Also, each rookie is paired with an older 鈥渕omma bird鈥� teammate who acts as a mentor. Now, my teammates are more than just fellow swimmers 鈥斕� they are my sisters.
On the first day of school, UBC gave all of the first-year student a Thunderbird t-shirt and tickets for that evening鈥檚 football game. Since then, I have attended hockey, field hockey, volleyball, basketball, and soccer games. To my surprise, I am a proud Thunderbird.
After a slow start to the season, I swam several personal bests at the Canada West Championships. I was pleased that I placed in the top eight in Western Canada in the 200 fly and the 200 IM. I hope to be much faster at the CIS Championships in Quebec in late February.听
My swimming has improved in the sense that my strokes have become a lot more efficient as we train a lot more mileage on this team. Also being able to train with some of the best swimmers in Canada has really pushed me and helped me improve.
My coach, Steve Price, really promotes the concept of 鈥減urposeful practice.鈥� We don鈥檛 just go through the motions at practice, we focus on perfect technique and 100 per cent effort. He expects a lot from all of us and we in turn expect a lot from him. The entire team has bought in to a culture of excellence.听
It is obvious that my room is occupied by a swimmer. The dominate decor is the random hanging of drying swimsuits and towels.听 Thankfully, I don鈥檛 have a roommate because I don鈥檛 think they could tolerate the stench of chlorine.
Time management is critical to success. I haven鈥檛 watched Netflix since August.
Most swimmers are great time managers because the practice schedule is so demanding. With 5 a.m. practices four days a week, I鈥檝e learned the importance of going to bed early. It鈥檚 critical. I鈥檝e also learned the benefits of napping. I try to steal a half hour nap before afternoon practice. Without the proper sleep, I鈥檇 be snoozing in class. Balancing academics and athletics is sometimes difficult, but one of my strategies is to always revise my notes that I created that day before going to bed. It keeps me on top of what I鈥檓 learning so I don鈥檛 fall behind. I also make sure to attend the weekly Thunderstudy session in place for the varsity athletes so that if I have any questions about material covered in class, I can get it answered.听 To my surprise, I am really enjoying calculus. I can see applying it in my future study in science.
Unfortunately, my heavy course load and 25 hours a week of practice does not leave much free time.听 However, I do enjoy visiting the many coffee shops and restaurants around campus with most teammates and high school friends. I have grown quite fond of avocado on toast after morning practice.听 It is now go-to breakfast at the caf most mornings.
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