by Kyle Wells [email protected] Simon Fraser University (SFU) student Chelsea Elvy, a native of Powell River, has been recognized for her abilities both on and off the volleyball court.
Elvy just finished her last season playing on SFU’s volleyball team, which competes in the American National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.
Every year the association picks players in each conference to be named to its All-Academic team, an honour bestowed on players who are in their second year of competition and who have maintained a grade point average of 3.20, generally Bs and above, or higher.
This is the second year that Elvy has been awarded the honour. She said that winners receive a certificate of achievement and that the honour looks good on a resumé. She also sees the recognition as a way to bring some attention to SFU and repay it for the many ways that it supports athletes.
“It’s a great honour because it is a lot of hard work to maintain academics and athletics,” said Elvy. “It’s great definitely to be able to come to a university and play sports and have my education paid for. It’s such an honour, so it’s great to give back to the university.”
Elvy started playing volleyball as a grade six student in Powell River. She plays right side but is a versatile player who can fill many positions.
With volleyball wrapped up for the year, Elvy now only has one academic semester to finish before she graduates with a degree in biological science. She has been dealing with an injury and is looking forward to taking a break from the sport, but will return to it in some form in the future.
Being enrolled in an academically demanding school and making sure not to have any free time is the key to being both a successful athlete and a successful student, said Elvy. “Knowing that if you only have a few hours between classes you have to get work done because you know that you’ll have practice later.”
Being good at time management and being able to prioritize are also strategies to help students get through it. “On road trips being really good about doing work on the days that we’re travelling or layovers in the airport and in the hotel rooms,” she added.
