Eric
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CPJ Press Conference
- Thread starter Eric
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dressedcheeseside
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Bruce Wayne
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Many other schools do not have to experience this but Tech fans do and should never forget just how impressive it is to be a Tech student-athlete.
Often we can get a bit luckier in the football season just because the game is once a week but every single basketball season I get reminded of what CPJ is discussing here because during exam week the basketball team always plays terrible. By that I mean they play like they are exhausted, make more mental mistakes, seem lethargic and like they haven't practiced . . . or slept, because they haven't! Instead they have been studying and taking exams to all hours. They have had to be college students and at a highly prestigious school. This fact doesn't bother me at all I am proud of Tech athletes for it and makes every single win or even a close loss that much more impressive.
GTJason
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Following up CPJ's comments regarding fall break and exams, this weekend is UNC's fall break. Their players have been taking midterms all week. We all know the scandals about their athlete education problems, but I hope they come out at least a little fuzzy against us. Give me a 3 TD lead and let me enjoy my bourbon
Bruce Wayne
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I suspect the UNC academic load and exams compared to what the Tech players go through is like kindergarten tests in molding play-do. I too hope they have all sorts of issues playing a good game but am too cynical about what goes on in these schools to expect midterms to be the cause if it happens.
I liked how CPJ dropped in the point on fall break and exams. He said "no one likes to hear it but . . ." and mentioned the challenges of being a student athlete there. This got the media mulling it over and I think Winklejohn is the one who says come to think of it haven't games during fall break/midterms been a real issue in the past as well as far as clean and focused play? To which then CPJ says "it is no excuse anyway, we should have won because of x/y/z." I think CPJ would like for the media and fans to be more capable of taking things like midterms exams and the challenges of being a student at Tech into account . . . so that then he can just be the hardnosed "no excuses" kind of guy. But if no one will cut the players that slack and be realistic about challenges in the program and point it out then he is left kind of having to try and do both.
I liked how CPJ dropped in the point on fall break and exams. He said "no one likes to hear it but . . ." and mentioned the challenges of being a student athlete there. This got the media mulling it over and I think Winklejohn is the one who says come to think of it haven't games during fall break/midterms been a real issue in the past as well as far as clean and focused play? To which then CPJ says "it is no excuse anyway, we should have won because of x/y/z." I think CPJ would like for the media and fans to be more capable of taking things like midterms exams and the challenges of being a student at Tech into account . . . so that then he can just be the hardnosed "no excuses" kind of guy. But if no one will cut the players that slack and be realistic about challenges in the program and point it out then he is left kind of having to try and do both.
dressedcheeseside
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Bruce, our own fans, even the alumns, don't take it into account. Most GT grads just think GT foosball academics is a cakewalk compared to what they went through. They fail to realize that what our players go through is exactly what they went through when compared to what other players on other teams go through.
GTBandit22
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Good to see PJ back JT up and still speak well of Tim.
Bruce Wayne
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Yeah it always befuddles me. Especially when they want to try and say the challenges are similar at other academically prestigious D1 schools. I keep hesitating to get very specific about how student athletes are helped at typical programs versus at Tech. But I will just give a basic scenario that repeats itself everywhere.
Athletes are allowed to sign up for classes first, they have priority in registration each term. This makes perfect sense to do because they are on a scholly that requires their attendance at team functions, such as practices, and so of course they need to be given priority so that schedules can be arranged to minimize conflicts. Fine. Everyone does that and it is legit.
One initial result of this priority registration is that certain courses will fill up with basically only athletes before the "regular" student body can register. So now what happens with these overwhelmingly athlete courses? At a typical school they become complete jokes but this doesn't happen at Tech (or far less so). Undoubtedly, if you have a class of 30 valedictorians the professor will teach the material at one level and if you have a class of 30 athletes (wider variety in academic skill and aptitude) the prof teaches it to hit a different level. So sure, even at Tech alumni can think the athletes have it "easier." But they really don't. Not when compared to their peers at any other college. Nor do these Tech professors or the degree programs requirements allow for the kind of "dumbing down" and "bogus" courses that every other college is riddled with for its athletes.
A friend of mine attended UGA post-Jan Kemp and since he was legally blind he would register for courses early and thus at the same time as the athletes. The story he has of taking a Intro to World Religions course in which every other student was a scholarship athlete may shock even the most cynical of you. And this was post-Kemp. No D1 school is entirely above directing athletes into courses taught by professors who take it "easy" on them. The point, however, is that both because of the professorial culture at Tech and the nature of the Bachelor of Science degree and the program specific requirements in athlete heavy majors like Management . . . Tech athletes simply have a far more rigorous academic experience than do their peers at other D1 colleges.