New program helps student-athletes in London balance sports, academics

London’s public school board has signed on to a new program aimed at helping student-athletes balance sports and academics.

Students from seven high schools in the Thames Valley District School Board are currently enrolled in the Academy for Student Athlete Development (ASAD).

The program was created by the Abilities Centre in Durham Region two years ago.

ASAD lead teacher Keith Heard said the program allows high school student-athletes to spend half of their day at the Western Fair Sports Centre training and focusing on things like nutrition and physiotherapy, while the other half of their day is spent at school learning with their peers.

“It allows them to maintain their academics but also get some sports-specific training as well as strength and conditioning in, and not during the evening or early before school hours,” said Heard. “Having physio on site is also [important]. We’re only one month in, but we’ve already had students with multiple visits there, and if they weren’t here, those would have to be scheduled after school or pull them out of school to take them to those.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "It allows them to maintain their academics but also get some sports-specific training as well as strength and conditioning in, and not during the evening or early before school hours," said Heard. "Having physio on site is also [important]. We're only one month in, but we've already had students with multiple visits there, and if they weren't here, those would have to be scheduled after school or pull them out of school to take them to those."

Students also complete teacher-supervised online courses to help maximize their training time.

That’s one of the reasons why Grade 9 Saunders student and gymnast Chloe Burridge got involved in the program.

“At the beginning of the summer, we were kind of thinking about how I would be able to balance gymnastics and school, and my coach found the ASAD program, and we looked into it and it really appealed to what we were looking for,” she said.

The director of education for the Thames Valley District School Board, Laura Elliott, said students are already enjoying the benefits of the program.

“Life is difficult for teenagers and the social part in incredibly important,” Elliot said. “Otherwise, I think sometimes students are in isolation trying to balance a traditional high school program with their specific sport, and I think at some point something will suffer.”

Students currently enrolled in the program specialize in various sports including hockey, baseball, snowboarding, figure skating, and lacrosse.

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Enrollment fees range from $5,000 to $9,000 per year, but Heard said it’s much cheaper than private academies.

Stuart McReynolds, ASAD’s national director,  emphasized the importance of community partnership.

“Everyone has got a stake in it,” McReynolds said. “Academically, the school board really wants the students to succeed and get their credits and pursue their next level destination, whether that be college or university or whatever that is for that individual. Sports, they have more time with their student-athletes, they’ve got responsibility for their environment that they’re in, which is so key, and the community is providing a number of different supports in a number of areas.”

Abilities Centre is a registered charity that partners with such groups as the Canadian Tire Jumpstart charities to provide financial assistance to students in need.