Switching your Sport in College

Submitted by Beatriz “Bia” De Souza, ’24 

If you are an athlete in college, your sport is a big part of your life. Your whole schedule revolves around practice and game times. Making plans with friends depends on whether you are competing that weekend or not. What you eat, how much you sleep, free time – it all depends on what is going on with your sport. That is why changing sports in college is one of the biggest changes you could make in your college career. Since this is a very particular topic, in which each situation could be so different and specific, I will be sharing a little bit of my story and how I went from playing tennis in college to running track.

I found out about Cumberlands because I got a scholarship opportunity to come and play tennis here. Sadly, because of the pandemic, I could not travel to America during my freshman year. Finally, in my sophomore year, I could travel, and I played my first season of tennis in college. But at the start of the fall semester of my junior year, I was not feeling it anymore. For various reasons, I decided that I did not want to be part of the tennis team anymore. The problem was, I would lose my athletic scholarship, and I needed it to keep on studying at UC. I couldn’t afford it otherwise. So, I started to look for jobs or anything that could offer me the same amount I had with my tennis scholarship. I kept on praying that God would send me something that would not allow my parents to pay more than they were already paying for college, but nothing was measuring up to it.

Then the second bi-term of the fall semester started, and my tennis coach decided that we would have running workouts at the track twice a week during that bi-term. The first day of those workouts was the first time I had ever run on a track in my life. But a little lightbulb turned on in my head and I thought, “I could be kind of good at this.” So, later that day, I texted one of my friends on the track team and asked her for the head track coach's number. I texted him, explained my situation, and asked if I could talk to him in person. I explained that I had never done track in my life but that, if he gave me one week, and if I liked it and he liked it, we could see how it went and talk from there. 

Surprisingly, he said yes. Over the very last week of classes of that semester, I went every day to the track, and I practiced with the sprints team. I practically died every single day. It was so difficult! But I did my best, and, a few days after the semester was over, the head coach texted me saying he wanted me to be part of the team and that he would cover the same amount as my tennis scholarship had before. I told him he was such an answered prayer in my life, and I said yes.

What followed up was me talking to my tennis coach and explaining why and how I made that decision. Gladly, things turned out fine, and I still have a friendly relationship with that coach. Once the whole process of getting my scholarship switched and me being added to the track roster was finished, I was an official member of the track team.

As I said, every story will be different. But one thing I will say is key: good communication. No matter what your reasons for wanting to do a different sport in college, communicate well the reasons behind your decision, to both coaches. Also, be realistic about your situation and your abilities. I would not say that any minor inconvenience you have in your sport should be a reason to leave it, but if you have the chance to do something that makes you happier and enjoy your college experience more, I say, take it! I did it, and I do not regret it.