The men's squash team started a mentoring program with its underclassmen to help them adjust to college. One of the most prevalent catch phrases in today's climate of college athletics is "scholar-athlete." Every coach and athletic department in the nation uses the phrase to describe the kind of player they are seeking out to be a part of their program. There are times, though, that the definition of what it means to be a "scholar-athlete" can be distorted to mean an athlete who just happens to be a student. The challenge that arises for participants in any sport is to carve out their own niches as ideal students on and off the court. Through the innovation of senior Jason Karp, the members of the Penn men's squash team are both successfully finding a balance in their own lives and guiding their teammates through the dueling roles of being college students and college athletes. "Playing a sport in college just takes a lot more time," Quaker sophomore Chuck Braff said. "You practice during two of the most productive hours of the day and even though you're tired after practice, you have to still go do work. It's a lot more demanding." One of the most difficult adjustments for any underclassman to make is juggling the workload of college while trying to maintain a semblance of a social life. For an underclassman who also plays a sport comes the added pressures of daily practices and time constraints. With this in mind, Penn coach Jim Masland approached Karp with the idea of starting a program within the team that would ease the transition for players from high school into college -- socially, athletically, and most of all, academically. "The important thing to remember is that these players are coming into an environment that they are unfamiliar with," Masland said. "They need to have the resources to chart their way through it that are less daunting as going through outlets provided by the University." Karp, who has maintained a 3.95 GPA while playing varsity squash for four years, ran with the idea and instituted a multi-faceted program that would introduce the players to the different techniques of studying that helped him to become a successful scholar-athlete. With studying well in hand, the program then helps them better manage their time away from the court so that they can enjoy every aspect of college life. Karp, along with senior co-captains Juan Dominguez and Tim Filla, also advise the underclassmen on classes and tutor them for four hours every week. The most unique dynamic of the program, and the reason why the players feel it works, is that it takes place not within the context of a forced mentorship, but of a strong friendship. They recognize this aspect and appreciate its benefits, both on and off the court. "Being a part of the program has given me a different type of social avenue that many freshmen don't get a chance to experience while at Penn," said Quaker freshman Alex Hurst. "Juan, Jason and Tim have become great friends who I look up to, and their influence has made me a more dedicated part of the team." For the seniors, the program also offers them the opportunity to re-evaluate their own college experience and keep the underclassmen from making the same mistakes they encountered. Dominguez recalled the difficulties he had as a freshman managing his time, finding ways to study, and remaining academically eligible. He feels that relaying his trials and tribulations to others and being open with how hard college is should be his duty in helping his teammates. "The only thing I want from being a part of something like this is the friendship, respect, and sense of fulfillment that comes with being a productive part of others' lives," Dominguez said. We live in a time and age where many athletes, whether warranted or not, receive reputations for being "dumb jocks" and trying to milk the system because they are physically gifted. The members of the Penn men's squash team have managed to take matters into their own hands and not only defy that stereotype, but use their experiences to help others define themselves as the ideal scholar-athlete.
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