DESPITE the popular notion that athletes don’t usually excel academically, some of Jamaica’s prominent junior athletes returned remarkable results in this year’s Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) CAPE and CSEC examinations.

The athletes, who have been national representatives within their respective disciplines at least once, have all demonstrated how effective time management, focus, and determination can bear fruit.

Wolmerian standout Shauna Helps described her performance in the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAPE) as a conquest.

“It became very difficult at times, almost impossible, but I had no choice but to persevere with the help of parental support,” noted a proud Helps.

Citing proper time management as one of the factors behind her commendable academic performance, Helps told the Jamaica Observer: “I always felt pressured to excel in both areas. It was always important to disprove the theory that only underachievers participated in track and field. I would like to pursue a successful career and in order to do this I must excel in school.”

Helps boasts gold medals from at least three stagings of the ISSA Boys’ and Girls’ Championship and a gold medal at the CARIFTA Games, which she describes as her most outstanding achievement in sports to date.

Having gained eight CSEC passes last year, Helps managed to obtain Grade Twos in CAPE Unit One, chemistry, biology and communication studies, and a Grade Five in pure mathematics, which she said was quite a challenge.

Besides being an outstanding athlete, Helps also has an active school life, as she is involved in the Students’ Council and the Sixth Form Association. With a considerable number of athletes under-performing academically whilst excelling in their particular disciplines, Helps admitted that “poor performance academically stems from all sorts of distractions, namely inefficient time management and a lackadaisical attitude towards learning”.

With this in mind, Helps however expressed her dissatisfaction with ISSA’s decision to maintain the 45 per cent academic requirement for athletes’ eligibility to represent their schools in sporting events organised by the association.

“I believe that ISSA can raise that and push athletes to work harder as opposed to settling for mediocrity,” she stated.

Reigning ISSA all-island Under-19 table tennis singles champion Dexter Mears explained to the Sunday Observer that he had to take drastic measures in order to achieve his CAPE results, as three Grade Twos and two Grade Threes were not easy to come by.

“There was a time when I actually had to stop training because my studies were being affected badly,” a reflective Mears stated.

The captain of Kingston College’s table tennis team pointed out that it took strategic planning in order to create the balance, and excelling in both by extension.

“My strategy was to create a timetable which included sports and school, and even social engagements,” Mears added.

Being an executive member of the Junior Achievement Programme at his school, the 17-year-old said that he had a role to play in maintaining and raising the academic standard.

“It was pressuring at times both mentally and physically. Many times I would go late at night home tired from training, and had to study. I knew my parents and teachers were expecting a certain quality of results from me,” stated Mears.

The national table tennis phenomenon had to miss the Caribbean Championships last year as a result of his CSEC exams being close to the staging of the event.

“I had to make some tough decisions; I missed some minor school tests in order to represent my school in an international tournament,” Mears said.

Speaking on the importance of education to athletes, Mears suggested that “education is a good back-up plan because the athletic timespan is not always that long and can come to a sudden end due to injury”.

Outgoing track and field team captain of the Wolmer’s Girls’ School Kristen Deacon was also among those who returned impressive results in the CAPE exams. Deacon managed to attain strictly Grade Twos in the four CAPE Unit Two subjects that she attempted. She explained that the theory at her school contributed to her results.

“At Wolmer’s you were always reminded that you are a student first, then an athlete,” she said.

Deacon, who is moving on to pursue a major in forensic science at the University of New Haven in the USA, indicated that her way of dealing with pressure was by not thinking about all her responsibilities, taking a deep breath when it mattered most, and remaining composed.

Besides being track team captain for a host of other outstanding athletes, she was also a prefect, house captain and Key Club vice-president.

“There was a bit of pressure because your teachers wanted you to excel academically and your coaches wanted you to do well likewise, so I had to constantly be on top of both, but it is what I signed up for so I didn’t complain,” Deacon said.

A firm believer in peer and familial support, Deacon expressed that she believes most athletes underperform academically because of a lack of focus.

“It’s not a case where they lack the competence; they lack the support from the individuals around them,” she suggested.

The shot put and discus thrower also voiced her opinion on the 45 per cent pass mark for athletes stipulated by ISSA.

“I believe that ISSA could have raised the average to even 50 per cent, maybe it would push them a bit more. In most institutions a 45 per cent average is a failing average so it doesn’t encourage the academic standard to build the ideal student athlete,” Deacon noted.

On the other hand, however, Calabar’s outgoing track team captain Romario McKenzie, said that he is satisfied with the 45 per cent average for athletes, though not very happy for other reasons.

“Not all athletes are academically inclined. Balancing sports and academics is tedious, and some just can’t manage. I see it highly unfair to stifle an athlete’s God-given talent because he or she can’t manage academically,” he expressed.

McKenzie, who received a full sports scholarship to the University of the West Indies, explained that without time management, he would not have been able to achieve commendable results in his CAPE exams. Adding to the eight CSEC subjects that he received, McKenzie secured passes in three CAPE subjects in this year’s sitting.

“It was the biggest strategy, trying to maintain the balance between sports and academics. It was all about knowing what you want from life, and working towards that with effective time management. So despite the hectic schedule, I had to find ways to get the work done because I knew it would pay off in the end.”

While acknowledging that he is good at time management, McKenzie admitted that he too had to stop training.

“It has happened before, as ‘Champs’ got closer, preparations became more intense which would result in my studies falling off a bit, but to control that I’d take Fridays and Sundays off to study,” McKenzie explained.

The Penn Relays medallist also had a lot on his counter, outside of being captain of his track team. McKenzie told the Sunday Observer that he was an assistant Students’ Council representative, Sixth Form Association executive member and also form captain.

Having to become acquainted with leadership positions, the athlete admitted that “any form of pressure there was would’ve had to be from within because I was being looked up to by my peers, so I couldn’t disappoint”.

In expressing his views on the structure of the education system with regards to student athletes, McKenzie said: “I don’t believe this current system facilitates the attainment of full potential by athletes. It’s hard to maximise your academic potential while doing sports, because training takes a toll on the body and mind and I think educators forget that at times.”

Track and field coach at Convent of Mercy (Alpha), Lorna Vernon, also believes that the education system is not structured in favour of student athletes. In dialogue with the Sunday Observer, Vernon mentioned that “athletes rising to what may be their true academic potential cannot and will not often be achieved in an environment where the mentality of the masses, including many educators, is that athletes are generally not bright’.”

She added: “Many times our athletes are not being encouraged to excel academically, and hence are at a disadvantage in a system that relies heavily on major exams such as GSAT and CXC exams.”

Vernon, who is also a senior teacher at Ardenne High School, pointed out that “student athletes spend most of the time that would normally be reserved for studying and practice to train for their activities, yet little is being invested in programmes to assist them in areas like time management”.

Despite her belief, Vernon is however pleased with the 45 per cent average for athletes.

“I’m satisfied with the 45 per cent pass mark. As long as there is no standard assessment and evaluation policy in all high schools, and there is a distinction between the types, I think that is a suitable mark for all to achieve.”

Convent of Mercy’s Zinedine Russell holds the view that athletes can attain their full potential once they have that desire. An outstanding competitor in the hurdles and field events at ISSA Boys and Girls Champs, Russell has already attained Grade Ones in both units of CAPE pure mathematics, with straight ‘A’ profiles, though still a fifth former. At just 14 years old, Russell gained four CSEC subjects in Grade Ones, which she attained in previous sittings. This year, she was able to cop an additional six with all distinctions, with the exception of geography.

An overjoyed Russell explained that it was never easy.

“Perseverance and dedication accounted for my performance, as even with a hectic schedule, I found the time and energy to do what I had to in order to succeed,” she explained.

The 15-year-old added: “Balancing studying and training was very difficult as you are extremely tired after training. What I had to do was work while being tired, take short naps, wake up early in the mornings to get the necessary work done.”

For Russell, balancing school and athletics was hard enough, so avoiding responsibilities that would interfere with her results was necessary.

“The driving force behind my achievements was my family who expected much of me and always encouraged me,” revealed Russell who had a bit of advice for athletes like herself:

“To all athletes with the desire and potential to excel, you should just not give up. Just trust your teachers and follow their instructions in terms of work to be done and try to do work even when you’re tired. Asking for help is very important because you won’t be able to understand everything from the first instance.”

A member of Jamaica’s regional Under-15 cricket team in 2010, Calabar’s Sadique Henry is also among the achievers. After copping nine CSEC subjects in last year’s sitting with five Grade Ones and four Grade Twos, Henry made a successful transition to the advanced level, as reflected by his results in from this year’s sitting of the CAPE exams. Attempting just three subjects in unit one, Henry did enough to land himself a full sports scholarship to the University of the West Indies, receiving a Grade Two in management of business, a Grade Three in communication studies, and a Grade Four in pure mathematics.

Henry told the Sunday Observer that education was the key, regardless of how talented one is.

“It is very important because it provides security in the event that a sports career does not materialise. It is also important as it fosters a better understanding of contractual agreements for athletes,” Henry said.

Faced with a tough decision, which resulted in him transferring to Wolmer’s Boys School, Henry explained that he however achieved the goals he had set.

“Most of the pressure came from trying to achieve goals I set for myself. I always wanted to have outstanding achievements in both cricket and academics as difficult as it was. In the end it came down to my determination to achieve all I set out to,” he remarked.

With no additional responsibilities, the driving force behind his success was his mother, according to Henry. He proudly related that “she supports me wholeheartedly in both sports and academics, always at my matches and ensures that I have everything to excel”.

Topping the island in a CAPE subject while being captain of a cricket team is no walk in the park, but Joel Johnson told the Sunday Observer that balancing sports and academics was not the most difficult task.

“I don’t want to exaggerate and say it’s the hardest thing in the world, but it is definitely harder than focusing solely on training or studying. It really does test your commitment and perseverance,” Johnson admitted.

Johnson, who captained Calabar’s cricket team, was able to to achieve strictly Grade Ones and Twos in six CAPE subjects in both units.

“The key to generating success from any hectic schedule is always time management, so prioritising and allocating sufficient time for school work has accounted for my performance in CAPE,” he said.

An active member at his church, he further explained that: “There was no great sacrifice, I had to make. I still had a social life, I still maintained my friendships and was involved in church.”

Asked what he thought accounted for the usual underperformance in academics by athletes, Johnson responded:

“I don’t think I can say there’s one definite reason. A lot of athletes don’t see the importance of doing well academically, and sometimes even those who are supposed to guide them don’t emphasise its importance enough. It’s not that they lack the ability to do well, they just lack the desire.”

Amidst their schedules, intense training sessions and the many detractors, these athletes somehow managed to hurdle those obstacles by displaying a tenacity strong enough to move mountains.