Juggling the load of being a student and an athlete at the same time is difficult enough as they contend with schoolwork while training and competing with their best efforts. As such, it would seem impossible to handle adding another sport to the mix. Yet, there are still athletes who have taken the challenge to compete in more than one competition. Bright Nwankwo, two-time UAAP Men’s Basketball champion with the DLSU Green Archers and UAAP Season 87 Athletics participant, shared how he balances his basketball commitments with his newfound passion for throwing events.
Double life
Nwankwo’s participation in the javelin throw event in Season 87 was a chance opportunity that arose, as a knee injury limited the big man’s capability to play for the Green Archers. Refusing to stay idle, the center decided to try his hand in throwing events for the athletics team, which turned out to be a fruitful endeavor.
However, the path of a multi-sport athlete is an arduous one; it requires a balance of studies, participation in various sports, and a sufficient sleep schedule. The difficult part about adapting to different training routines and building team chemistry, for Nwankwo, is traversing through different locations: “For the throwing events, we have to go to Laguna in the morning to practice, and the practice as usual we had 6 am, while in basketball, we practice in Taft, which is usually at 4 pm, and in between that, I also have classes.” Moving between two places at once added difficulty for him, given the strenuous effort expended from different training regimens.
Waking up early can be quite challenging, especially with the rigorous schedule he had to maintain. Getting up at the crack of dawn is the sacrifice Nwankwo made to continue practicing and studying.
Since he had already finished most of his major courses when he took up throwing events, Nwankwo did not feel as overwhelmed. While the circumstances could be different for other student athletes, maintaining discipline and dedication can further help preserve athletic mastery, especially when competing in two different sports.
Broadening horizons
The origin of Nwankwo’s life as a multi-sport athlete did not start with throwing events, as the recently graduated Green Archers center revealed that basketball was not even his first sport. He shared, “I wasn’t even playing basketball growing up as a kid. I played soccer. Every Nigerian kid played soccer growing up.”
Learning the javelin throw benefited Nwankwo in improving his basketball game, particularly in developing his body coordination. He explained, “From the training I got from throwing events, I learned how to transfer power from the legs or from different parts of the body, which I use now in basketball, especially with my explosiveness in terms of jumping and rebounding.”
Committing to a different sport while already being heavily focused on another responsibility is a monumental task, especially for a student. As such, young student-athletes who want to take this road should not take it lightly. The two-time UAAP champion advised, “I would recommend it if and only if it wouldn’t affect you specializing in a particular sport, because at the end of the day, you don’t want to be too distracted in whatever it is you’re doing.”
However, learning different sports as a hobby remains a valuable practice, as these experiences could provide knowledge that may benefit athletes in their specialized sports or even in life.
