Balancing Elite Sports Training with Academic Excellence for Singapore Student Athletes

Student athletes and their families will be familiar with the challenges of balancing elite sports training with academic excellence. Training regimen, travelling and competition preparations can result in conflicts with revision, classwork and homework. 

This raises a serious question: How can students and families balance both academic and athletic endeavours, whilst maintaining time to recuperate and for extracurriculars? 

In recognition that every student’s circumstances are varied, at Crimson Global Academy, students are supported to strike this right balance. With CGA, Singaporean student athletes have the opportunity to excel in both academic and athletic endeavours while allowing time for relaxation and miscellaneous activities through CGA’s online education programs.

Why Student Athletes may struggle:

Singaporean student athletes and their families can face a variety of challenges, which affect the balance between academics and sports. The ultimate result of these challenges could lead to a cascade:

• Attendance issues: Training programs may overlap with class times, leading to frequent absence and lack of consistency within learning.
• Catch-Up Issues: Due to frequent absence, there may be a buildup of schoolwork.
• Declining motivation: Consequently with too much schoolwork there may be reduced enthusiasm contributing to a worsening in academic performance.

If a student were to shift away from athletic commitments to prioritise academics they may also face the opposite issues, resulting in poor performance and results and may find themselves lacking time to practice. 

Consistency also presents a unique challenge to students, as the lifestyle of a student athlete could create difficulty for the student to continuously learn or develop new skills as a result of distractions and deviations from constantly shifting focuses preventing concentration and construction of long-term memories.

Online education for student athletes:

Many student athletes have shifted to online education as a solution and tool to balance their education. Online education can provide numerous advantages such as:

• No commute times, freeing up hours worth of travel for students to study, rest, or spend for further practice.
• Flexible schedules which can be mixed and matched to the student’s preferred timeslots, competition schedules and lifestyle.
• Removal of geographical barriers, allowing study to occur anywhere, from a hotel room to the training facility, greatly reducing the disruptions between lessons.

The importance of flexibility within the curriculum:

Curriculum flexibility is not only important for time management, but allows the student to make the most out of a course of study. Flexibility ensures that no lessons need to be skipped and the maximum knowledge and skills can be developed. Similarly, it ensures students are best prepared for their exams in addition to freeing up more time within the student athlete’s schedule, allowing for more time to practice and train while preventing students from being overwhelmed.

In the case of a valid absence, CGA also offers session recordings following the completion of a lesson, ensuring that students are able to quickly catch-up with content, and observe the entirety of a session, rather than relying entirely on catch-up activities. Recordings can also be followed on with questioning to members of staff, who will be able to provide any additional support necessary.

How CGA’s online education program can benefit student athletes:

Crimson Global Academy offers athlete-friendly schooling through group classes with various time selections creating a collaborative and engaging study environment. The unique Da Vinci programme provides a 1:1 learning experience with an expert teacher which allows for a highly tailored experience based on the students own goals, with pacing entirely based on the student’s performance and preferences.

CGA’s live, dynamic classroom experience is also supported by the comprehensive library of curriculum on offer, including Primary, Lower Secondary, Pre IGCSE, IGCSE, A Levels, the US Diploma and the AP program taught directly to the student by world class teachers, allowing student athletes to customise their learning to match interests, and support future academic ambitions. The wide range of accredited programs means students can personalise the breadth and depth of their educational experience.

Finding the right balance

Success in athletics derives from striking the right balance between study and practice. Online education at CGA facilitates this by allowing Singaporean student-athletes to continue to pursue both scholastic and athletic aims equally with partnership to CGA. Supported by our dynamic and lively global community which constantly encourages students to seek new opportunities and build upon successes and failures providing both soft skills and a clear pathway to academic success.

Crimson Global Academy is the choice for student athletes in Singapore to receive both a global accredited education and the flexibility to train. Are you ready to explore how online learning can fuel your student-athlete development? Find out more about CGA’s programmes for ambitious students now!

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is an online school for student athletes?

An online school for student athletes provides personalised education through virtual lessons, flexible pacing, and tailored schedules to accommodate learning and competitive needs of student athletes.

2. What is the international community like at CGA?

Crimson Global Academy is an online international school with a community which ensures students are met with like-minded peers who share similar academic interests, ideas or hobbies.

3. How does online learning help student athletes in Singapore?

Online learning offers flexibility, reduces barriers associated with commuting and allows students to learn at their own pace — key benefits for student athletes in Singapore.

4. What qualifications does CGA offer to Student athletes?

CGA offers the IGCSE, A-Level, and US Diploma pathways — all globally recognised and accessible to students with a range of learning profiles.