22. KEEPING YOUR OPTIONS OPEN

The issue of school and education to an elite athlete always seems to be a hot issue but to me it has always been quite clear cut. Education is essential – not only does it give the player a sound knowledge base for life but it also gives the player an outlet to develop social skills and interests beyond their sport, which might be key should they ever become injured or simply decide to quit at a relatively young age. 

My player stayed at school right the way through to 18 (well 17 as she was out of year). It wasn’t always easy and she had to learn to juggle her commitments and manage her time extremely well – often meaning that homework and revision was done on the road – at airports, hotels and even court-side – but it was her choice. She played a wide variety of different sports, besides tennis, right up to the age of 16 – reaching national finals level in badminton, netball and hockey – whilst still training daily on the tennis court but this gave her the variety she needed to maintain her interest in tennis, and also helped prepare her physically for a life in sport without exposing her to the inevitable injuries arising from over use and repetition from solely playing tennis. 

Many young players opt out of full-time schooling at a very young age – as early as 11 or 12 with some players. But who is making this decision? Is it the player or her parents or the coach? Whichever way it is, home-schooling from such a young age is in my opinion, a risky thing to do as you cannot guarantee to be sure that the player will still want to play tennis in her late teens and without a basic education, her options become extremely limited. 

Home schooling in some countries is definitely more accepted and more developed as an option than in others. In the US for example, home schooling is quite common place for athletic/gifted children but in the UK this option is still in its’ infancy and not as widely accepted or practiced. Some of the ‘tennis academies’ offer schooling but the range of subjects on offer can be limited and the quality of teaching may, in some cases, be lesser than that on offer in main stream education.

So, what are the pros and cons of opting out of full-time education for an aspiring athlete? Well, some of the Pro’s are that the athlete can:

• Spend more time training;

• Can fit her schooling around her tennis as opposed to the vice versa;

• Can go off and compete as and when scheduled without the worry of missing essential school days.

But the ‘Cons’ are likewise many, including such factors as:

• Home-schooling can limit the athlete’s exposure to other alternative sporting activities;

• Limit the athlete’s opportunities to mix socially with other children of a similar age and with different interests;

• Limit the range of educational subjects that can be studied.

My player was fortunate. She went to a school which had a highly supportive and progressive Head Teacher, who basically said to her that she (the Head Teacher) never wanted to be the reason why my player never achieved her full potential, and as a result, as long as my player kept up with her work commitments, then she was told she could have as much time out as she needed to fulfil her tennis goals. The school even assisted with the arrangements that were needed to enable my player to sit one of her ‘A levels in France as there was a clash with the French Open Juniors. My player sat her Economics ‘A’ level exam in her hotel room in Paris, with an invigilator sitting alongside her to ensure that full adherence to exam conditions was maintained. Until you ask if this kind of thing is possible you don’t actually know but there are certainly allowances in place for athletes/gifted children who are pursuing the ‘in-school’ route. 

So, before you/your player decides to quit school, think it through carefully. What is right for her? Is she never going to lose interest in tennis nor get injured? Should she restrict her options at a very young age or be given the opportunity to make this decision herself in her teens? Are the home schooling options good enough to give her the basic education she will need in life? Will she begin to resent her tennis if she doesn’t have other interests and sports to pursue in the early years? Discuss the options with her and ensure that she is part of the decision-making process. After all it is her life and her career. Homeschooling will be the right choice for some but it most definitely isn’t the right choice for all.

Then once your player has reached the end of her schooling there is the issue of higher education to consider. Does an aspiring player go straight onto the tour or does she go down the College/University route? More of this in my next blog!

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