It is no secret on this campus that student-athletes receive a bit of special attention. From flashing our new Under Armor gear to scooting around town on our mopeds, it is obvious that we definitely receive as much as we put in each and every day. Being a student-athlete is a grind, no lie. We wake up at the crack of dawn for workouts, push our bodies to the maximum threshold, and mentally exhaust our minds to achieve perfection in everything we do. Not to mention trying to maintain somewhat of a social life while balancing good grades and dedicating half of our day to countless workouts. It is all for a reason: to better ourselves as athletes and to better our school Athletic Department that we are so very lucky to call the University of Wisconsin-Madison. But how would it be fair to put in a remarkable amount of effort, and get no reward? Luckily, we don’t have that problem. Here are the top seven perks of being a student-athlete at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
1. Scooter gang
Let’s be real, people. Our campus is huge. That means our athletic facilities might be unfortunately far from where we live or where our classes are located. *Sigh* What could possibly solve this unfortunate circumstance? Mom and Dad, I guess this means I have to buy a moped. It’s the perfect excuse to get one, but also not much of an excuse at all. Without my moped, I’m not sure how I would get from point a to point b (to point c) every day.
2. The GEAR!!!
Ah, yes. My favorite part. You may think Christmas comes on December 25, but it actually comes earlier for us athletes. It comes the first day of our scheduled preseason (which is August 2 this year for Women’s Soccer). I will not lie; we are a bit spoiled when it comes to the clothes. We get a plethora of Wisconsin gear ranging from lifting and running shoes, several pairs of cleats, hoodies, t-shirts, rain jackets, parkas, mittens, hats, shorts, sweatpants, etc. It is quite the Christmas present for athletes.
3. Free food
Who doesn’t love FOOD? Thanks to the NCAA, we now get free breakfast served to all athletes at Camp Randall and the Kohl Center. It is the perfect way to start the day, and save some cash for other expenditures. Not to mention the free healthy snacks we receive in our weight rooms ranging from protein and sport drinks, bananas, yogurt, fresh fruit, eggs, various nuts, and (of course) Wisconsin cheese. Did I mention the free smoothie bar too?
4. Tutoring and Academic Center
Okay. This is probably the most important because contrary to popular belief, we do actually attend this school to receive an outstanding education. Under the Athletic Department, we are able to receive free tutoring in any subject, as many times a week as we want (or are willing to have). We take this for granted sometimes because regular students normally have to pay a decent amount for tutoring but we have it handed to us. There’s no excuse to do bad in a class then, right? Ha. On top of tutoring, we also are able to, and have to for mandatory study table hours, study in The Fetzer Academic Center. This is essentially a quiet study area with an excessive amount of tutoring rooms, free printing, and computer lab available for all student-athletes. It is the perfect place to get some work done before or after practice.
5. Top-notch facilities and training
If you have ever had the chance to walk around in Camp Randall, the McClain Center, or the Kohl Center, you will understand how lucky we truly are. These facilities are not only new, but provide us with the most updated sports medicine technology and training equipment needed to succeed at the top level. The weight rooms are unbelievable and have everything we need, and more, to get better on a daily basis. In addition to the facilities, we are provided with excellent strength and conditioning trainers. Our trainers always joke how we should appreciate the free workouts now, because in ten years we will be paying a trainer to kick our asses.
These are just five out of the infinite amount of perks we receive being student-athletes here at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. We are extremely fortunate to have these resources at our disposal, even if that means all the hard work and early mornings we have to experience along the way.
