For the first annual Courier rookie showcase, we’re checking in with Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»athletes in their freshman semester at colleges and universities around the continent.
Today we’re catching up with golfer Marie Donnici, who rises for 6 a.m. workouts with the University of Hawaii, UBC pitcher Brad Smith who has been challenged to master a change-up, newly minted lacrosse midfielder Tyler Vogrig and B.C.’s AAAA basketball MVP Mindy Minhas, who saw far less court time than anyone expected.
This is the first of two parts. Tomorrow we'll check in withPrince of Wales’ grad Andrew de Visser, field hockey players at Rutgers and Harvard, and Kelowna-turned-Vancouver-turned-Seattle high school basketball player Drew Urquhart.
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Marie Donnici
Crofton House graduate now golfing at the University of Hawaii
On the first day of our 6 a.m. workouts, I wore the wrong colour of shirt. It was a good thing the trainers were feeling forgiving that day!
My best finish was at the Rainbow Wahine Invitational, where I shot 78-75-78 and placed 28th. Coach Lori Castillo and I have talked a lot about "random practice," where I go through my full pre-shot routine with each shot and pick new targets, as opposed to "block practice," where I would hit the same shot for a longer period of time. This has helped me simulate competition in my practice. We've also worked on a "tension free swing," or having a calm mind and body once I address the ball.Ìý
To balance athletics and academics I've had to be very disciplined with my time management. UH's Nagatani Academic Center for student-athletes, where I have to complete six hours of study hall per week, has been a great resource.
I've found that the biggest difference between being a college athlete and an athlete in high school is that you are very much treated like an adult and a professional here, and you have more control over your own time. I love this extra freedom and responsibility because it has made me accountable for my own progress more than ever before.
My favourite class this semester has been World Religions 175, my elective class. It has exposed me to aspects of different cultures I would not have otherwise learned about and has been quite different from the economics and business classes I have taken. Other than at Nagatani, I usually study in my dorm-room.
My dorm-room style is pretty basic! My favourite part about it is my bulletin board with letters and pictures of my friends and family at home.
The food here has been great — my favourites have been laulau, which is pork wrapped in taro leaves, and the seafood, like mahimahi fish. I've tried to embrace Hawaii's "Aloha Spirit" since moving here. This friendly acceptance is present all around campus and made my transition here very easy.
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Brad Smith
Point Grey graduate now pitching at UBC
The baseball season begins in earnest February, 2015. So far, in the late summer after returning from training with the national junior team, Smith made two appearances for the Thunderbirds.
The whole Thunderbirds baseball team really made me feel welcomed. All the guys are good to be around, the senior guys are approachable, and we had a team party which was a great time for bonding and getting to know everyone.
I have only pitched two innings so far, one went well, one did not… so, my best performance was one inning with two strikeouts. My pitching coach has drilled change-ups into us — despite the fact that I haven't gotten into a lot of games yet, I already know that the biggest change I will see in my game is the amount of change-ups I throw within a game.Ìý
To balance the academic and athletic demands, honestly, the best strategy is for me is not to stress. I know I’ll put the work into both aspects of my life. This first semester, I emphasized more on my academics, reason being I wanted to be academically eligible more than anything. However, now I'm really focused on baseball and I’ll be putting in more focus now and second semester, while also planning my academic responsibilities accordingly, without a compromise in grades.
I'd have to say the biggest difference from high school is my self-responsibility. Now thatÌýI'm no longer living with my parents, the toughest part hasn't really been baseball or school really,Ìýbecause I was expecting theÌýheightened demands on both fronts, however, it's living on my ownÌýand being responsible. Don't get me wrong I enjoy the freedom, it’sÌýjust the biggest difference has been living on my own.Ìý
My favourite classes areÌýdefinitelyÌýmy commerce courses: Comm 101 and Comm 290. Commerce is whatÌýI'm most interested inÌýand is why I chose to study business. I enjoy studying in the Sauder Library and Irving Learning Centre because they aren't super quite, which bugs me, and it’s a very co-operative learning environment that allows you to work with others and bounce ideas of each other.Ìý
Based on my dorm room, right now you would see that I'm an organized person who likes to keep things clean. But the thing is, that could drastically change because during a time when I'm really busy, my room will be a mess. My dorm room style is quite plain. I don't spend a tremendous amount of time in here, as I’m usually at baseball, class or the library.
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Tyler Vogrig
Van Tech graduate playing lacrosse at High Point University in North Carolina
It is very easy to tell that I am a quintessential rookie because adjusting from the high school to college level is a huge leap. Getting used to Division 1 lacrosse was at first hard for all the other freshman, butÌýtowards the end of fall ball,ÌýI've got a taste ofÌýwhat it's like to play at the highest level in college sports and I know that I will thrive in this environment over the next four years.
At the beginning of the year, some of the upper-classmen talked to all the freshman on what we have to do to be successful at High Point. The team welcomes all the freshman into the family and we are all equals.
Our team has not played any games yet but I’ve improved in a few ways. My conditioning has gotten a lot better since I've been here and it's a lot more humid here — now that I've gotten used to it, I am comfortable performing in places with high temperatures and high humidity which will be an advantage. Another way my game has improved is that I've gotten a lot better at dodging a one v. one match up because that's something I've never done in box lacrosse. Box lacrosse is a totally different sport than field lacrosse and I haven't played much field lacrosse in B.C. so there's still a lot for me to learn whileÌýI'm in the States.
One thing my coach has taught me is how to play midfield. There are so many details that you have to know as a midfielder and getting to know all the plays and systems was difficult, but the coaches here are more than happyÌýto help us understand what I need to do as a midfielder. I've gone from knowing almost nothing to knowing a lot within a span of four months.
The life of a student-athlete is not easy. What we do as a lacrosse team is we practise in the mornings from about 6 to 9 a.m., which lets us have the rest of the day to go to class and take care of our academics since academics are what define us as student-athletes. Our coaches encourage us to do well in the classroom. As a freshman, I have a mandatory eight hours a week to spend at our new study hall facility, Phillips Hall.
The biggest difference now compared to being a high school athlete is the competitiveness that the team has at practice. We practise how we would play a game and that is to win. Even though we are on the same team, we compete against each other as if we were our rivals.
My favourite class has to be human biology even though it’s the toughest course I've ever taken. I'm really enjoying it and I am doing well. My favorite place to study is my bed because I canÌýget work done when I'm comfortable.
My dorm-room style is very clean and neat. I would never like to live in a dirty or messy environment. By looking at my room, you would learn that I am very productive and I like everything to be neat and clean.
Since I've been here, I've had myÌýfirst ever Chick-Fil-A sandwich and it was life-changing.
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Mindy Minhas
Churchill graduate on medical leave from the basketball program at UBC
I'm still learning every day and watching the older guys gives me a bit of a perspective on things. I'm just soaking it all in, learning as much as I can so I can succeed next year. My teammates are great and very welcoming. Everybody offered to help and show me around. One of the first things the school did for us as rookies was give a tour of the campus in a golf cart.
I'm lucky I’ve got great people around me that are always there to help me succeed. Especially being diagnosed with an intestinal disease, I have had to rely on numerous people... the list just goes on and on and I'm truly blessed. Looking forward, I plan on getting ready for next season and overcoming all of these setbacks and becoming the best version of myself.
I have had a couple of meetings with coach Kevin Hanson since I couldn't play, and he's really been there for me when I've needed him. He's put me in a great situation to come back next year better than ever.
High school was fun while it lasted, but university gets even better… for any of you Grade 12s wondering! There is so much more freedom, regarding literally everything. Academically, it's much tougher though. It gets easy to adjust to after a while. In terms of basketball, for the little bit I played, it was a lot more physical and faster, but I was starting to adjust to it. Everything is kind of difficult at first, but you just keep working hard and you'll adjust to anything in no time.
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Interviews have been condensed and edited.
