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

“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

“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

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.

their interests and values within the context of the University’s admission criteria. In instances where the students’ results are insufficient to get them into their first choice, we’ll sit down with them and work out an alternative pathway to get them to their final goal. Continuous discussions are had with all our student athletes, who generally progress from academic support to employability as they draw closer to their graduation.

“At this point, we are only involved in rugby and cricket but we are developing tools such as an online academic hub, that we hope can widen our reach to the other sporting codes on campus.”

A few excellent and hardworking student athletes have graduated and form part of the recently launched SS4LS Alumni Network. One such example is the former captain of both Varsity Cricket and Varsity Football, Emmanuel Sebareme. When he was five years old, he and his family fled the conflict in Rwanda on foot and found themselves in Cape Town. That was in 2000. Now, Sebareme is a graduate with an economics degree.

“Every graduation is a success story, especially considering the majority of our students are firstgeneration. However, it’s these challenging stories that are perhaps the most memorable,” Greenwood adds. “Emmanuel is undoubtedly one of the hardestworking individuals I have ever met and is testament to the fact that there is no substitute for hard work when it comes to academics. Plenty has been said about his success on the sporting field, captaining two Varsity sports teams in his final year of studies, but his journey as a student is equally as impressive.

“When he came to us, he had a dream to study commerce. Unfortunately, his high school marks only allowed him to enter the University in the certificate course. It was during this time that we [SS4LS] had come to an agreement with the Economic Management Sciences faculty that allowed him to take an extra maths module to be considered for a Bachelors in Administration degree. A semester in, he requested a transfer and three years later, he graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) degree.”

There are many more success stories, each as special as the other. Greenwood says that although the allure of professional sport contracts entice young student athletes, the obstacles that they are forced to navigate with respect to other sportspeople makes it a tough road.

However, with leaders such as Adv Kock, Andrew Greenwood and so many others at the SS4LS, along with all the supporting structures, the journey becomes much more bearable.

“One of the biggest challenges is that a great deal of the students we bring on have been sold on a dream of becoming a professional athlete to the extent that being a sportsman is entrenched in their identity as an individual,” explains Greenwood.

“They cannot foresee a future without sport, so convincing them of the importance of a degree can be a challenge.

“And the reality is that for those lucky enough to make a career in sport, being a professional athlete has an expiry date long before the typical retirement age. It’s not a case of choosing one over the other but rather trying to balance both, which is a skill that takes time to develop.”