Study abroad removes juniors from Passive seasons

The life of students at Vassar revolves around balancing commitments, and there are few bigger academic commitments than spending an entire semester studying in another country. As student-athletes make the difficult decision to embark upon an experience with the Junior Year Abroad (JYA) program, their respective teams are left to try and fill the resulting void.Few voids have been bigger than that made on Vassar's swimming and diving team this fall. There are six total members two women and four men who were on the roster in 2009-10 that are currently studying outside the United States. On the women's side, Felicia Hansell '12 and Caroline Shannon '12, both swimmers, are in Madrid and Paris, respectively. For the men, swimmers Ian Madison '12 and Jack Smart '12 are in Madrid and London, respectively, and Greg Sullivan '12, a diver, is in Russia. Swimmer Dustin Molina '12 is also abroad, in Prague, but he is not planning on returning to the team in January 2011.

Head Coach Lisl Prater-Lee, now in her 16th season at Vassar, is quite familiar with the JYA program and the impact it has on the team. However, even she, in an e-mailed statement, remarks that this year is a bit more extreme than in the past. Still, she is thankful that the students' travels are not distributed more sporadically.It's been somewhat helpful that most are gone now and we are not split, [like having] four gone now and three gone in the spring,she says. In the spring, diver Christie Musket '12 will be studying abroad.

The JYA students are not the only reason the swimming and diving team looked significantly different coming into this season. Coach Prater-Lee says the number of graduating men from last year's squad was larger than usual. This followed a 2009 season that featured a big class of female graduating swimmers and divers. This has put more importance on recruiting, which for 2010-11 resulted in six freshman members on the women's squad and four on the men's. Still, while roster spots can be filled, the people who temporarily abandon them cannot truly be replaced. Coach Prater-Lee writes strongly of the team chemistry so critical to the program. The men's and women's swim/dive team spends a lot of time together,she writes.In some ways, it's a lot like a family. Because we spend so much time together, in good and more challenging times, we all sense when someone are missing.

Considering that all six of the students currently abroad have been members of the team since their freshman year, it is understandable how much their collective absence is felt.There are ways to combat this sense of longing, however. Coach Prater-Lee shares that she and the rest of the team still at Vassar maintain contact with the students in other countries. She emphasizes the importance of out more of what they are doing while JYA and letting them know that they are missed and still very much valued back here on campus.Though the separation is difficult, everyone—coaches and fellow athletes alike understand the opportunity JYA presents. Coach Prater-Lee says she is happy for those who take the JYA experience and she is continually impressed at how the students never show a willingness to settle back with academic work and intellectual pursuits about which are passionate.Alistair Hall '11, one of the captains of the men's team, truly values the well-being of his teammates.I'm just happy that they are having a good time,he said in an e-mailed statement. He, like Coach Prater-Lee, recognizes the scholarly ambition so apparent in his fellow swimmers and divers. Although they all love training and competing,he remarks,you have to do what is best for you and your education, including JYA or otherwise.

Both Coach Prater-Lee and Hall acknowledge that the missing team members affect the depth of the roster. However, the challenge does not rest solely on the athletes who are still in Poughkeepsie. Coach Prater-Lee notes that one of her main concerns is the ability of the JYA swimmers and divers to stay in prime condition to compete.JYA can pull someone away from a fitness routine, let alone training for a varsity sport,she says. She stresses that it is important for those abroad to gauge their commitment to the team. Upon their return it is my hope as a coach, and hopefully everyone's hope, that the JYAers want to make up for that lost time when they are on campus for the rest of their junior year and the summer before their senior year,she adds. Coach Prater-Lee is quick to recognize the academic obstacles that can further hinder this ideal resurgence. She has coached enough juniors to know that thesis prep, grad school prep, and potential job searches and interviews…can all influence spring semester junior year and beyond.Nevertheless, when the athletes do return from their intellectual getaways, they are granted their old roster spots, provided the two squads have not met their size limits. Coach Prater-Lee does not expect complacency with this security, however. She says the goal for all team members, JYA or not, should be to challenge themselves to add more to the team within a season and from season to season.Ideally, her student-athletes will show just as much fervor in their athletics as they do in their academics. No matter what, though, everyone is ready for a warm welcome once the JYA athletes return and the team is reunited. The travelers will rejoin the rest of the squad on a training trip to Florida, and Hall reports that he and the other team members still at Vassar "can't wait!"