SPORT SMART
UWC’s SS4LS programme has made an indelible mark — on both its student-athletes and staff By Lyndon Julies | Photography: ASEM Engage/Varsity Sports
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The second half of a person’s life only consists of the habits he built up in the first part.” This is a quote from one of the University of the Western Cape’s (UWC) former vice-chancellors, Professor Jakes Gerwel. The statement rings true for every student athlete who not only embarks on being accepted and graduating with a formal qualification but also hopes on landing a professional sport contract. In 1999, Advocate Nicolas Kock founded Sports Skills for Life Skills (SS4LS), a sport- and educationbased non-government organisation (NGO). For Andrew Greenwood, an academic manager at the programme who has been part of the SS4LS family since 2016, there is no programme like it. Greenwood, who is responsible for the core functioning of the SS4LS says it has changed and shaped the life of every studentathlete that comes through its doors. He recalls specifically the “near misses”, those students who were at the brink of giving up on their studies altogether. “Sports Skills for Life Skills is aimed at providing educational opportunities to talented athletes who come from underprivileged backgrounds,” says Greenwood. “SS4LS has three core pillars — academics, sports and wellness. My role as the head of academics can be split into three objectives: increasing employability, which is achieved through the facilitation of capacity-building courses and certificates; maintaining motivation by creating and implementing career pathways; and providing support and guidance through
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the athlete mentorship and tutoring programme.” Initially Greenwood was approached by Adv Kock and his management team as an intern but soon he transitioned into a more senior role, helping to impact the lives of student athletes at the University. The academic coordination programme, which is Greenwood’s mandate at the SS4LS, has many success stories and he proudly states that while every student athlete who graduates is a success story, there are always those farreaching narratives of students who defied all odds that make for feel-good tales, especially if they are first-generation graduates. “In 2016, I was brought on as a sport psychology intern while completing my Masters in Psychology. It was only during the following year that I was asked to take on the academic pillar.
“As the academic support programme grew and [got] refined, it evolved into something that is both reactive and proactive. I feel that the proactive elements of the programme distinguish it from others.” While SS4LS currently only provides academic and mental support to two sporting codes (rugby and cricket) at UWC, there are plans to expand this to more codes following the success of the programme over the last few years. Greenwood is excited as he speaks about how the SS4LS support structure operates and functions practically for student athletes. “It’s a process that begins at recruitment with career assessments and, in some cases, tutorial interventions provided to all potential recruits. Thereafter, it becomes a case of guiding the student into a degree choice that both matches
