It is with deepest pride and greatest pleasure that I welcome you to a mystical, magical land of hope, wonder, and division 3 sports!
But what does it really mean to be a student athlete?
For a lot of serious high school athletes, division three athletics on paper can sound rather underwhelming. Coming from a year-round, intense club team in high school, I found that there tend to be two kinds of student athletes when applying to colleges: those who are almost burnt out and are debating whether or not to continue with that sport at all, and those who wish to continue at the same, if not higher, intensity. Either way, division 3 isn’t always something that sounds appealing.
With all the pressure that is put on students athletes in high school on achieving greatness both on a team and in the classroom, it can be difficult to take the intensity down a notch, or to continue with athletics at all. I was definitely ambivalent about swimming in college, unsure about how D3 would affect my racing – let alone how I would balance academics, athletics, and a social life. But in reality, D3 swimming was the perfect fit. It is competitive and forces you to work hard, but with a little less pressure and a little more fun. For me, swimming with PPSD has not only helped me greatly improve my personal times, but it has also supported and positively contributed to many other aspects of my college experience. Huzzah!
Being a student athlete goes beyond working out and practices. It provides something definitive in your schedule, and no matter how confused you are about your classes or other extracurriculars, your sport is always there as an outlet and resource. You get a team of incredible individuals to rely on both in and out of practice. You get a community to share your college experience with, if you so choose. You get the opportunity to represent and invest yourself in your school in a huge yet fun way. And you get to continue doing what you love/like in an incredibly encouraging and motivational environment.
Pomona Pitzer Swim and Dive defines my college experience thus far – in a good way. My teammates are my inspiration, my comfort, my heroes, and my best friends. They made the transition to college easy and fun. And I couldn’t imagine not being a student athlete because of them
So if you are debating whether to apply/attend Pomona or Pitzer as a student athlete, keep in mind…
1)Division 3 is the best,
2)Pomona-Pitzer teams are the best, and
3)Teammates are the best.
I suppose if I could sum up what being a student athlete at Pomona is like, I’d think…
Yup, that’s it.
Swimcerely,
Kyra Sanborn
