Dan Onorato - Life As A Student Athlete

As the basketball season is getting going the semester is beginning to come to a close. In all four of my classes I have taken or will soon take my final exam before finals. The end of the semester is always a hectic time at Coe because although it is only mid November class time is at a premium due to Thanksgiving break. We get three days off of class for break, as some colleges get the whole week off we enjoy fall break in October instead. As it is mid November it means that the games are about to begin as we play our opener against Mount Mercy tomorrow. It will be nice to play some outside competition as we have constantly been beating up on each other in practice for almost a month now. This time of year though is really important to balance academics and athletics. With finals approaching we will be given a day or two off of basketball to prepare and study. Not every class offers a traditional final, as some classes require presentations or papers in place of a final. In addition, not all finals are cumulative as all four of my finals this semester will not be comprehensive. Also on the academic front we recently registered for classes for next semester. Students are required to meet with their advisors before they register to talk about requirements and then students sign up for their classes online based on the number of credits they have completed. It’s definitely crunch time for school and basketball!

Dan Onorato - Life As A Student Athlete

With official practice beginning on October 15 this time of year is a busy one for all collegiate basketball players. Personally, I have two tests this week and a quiz but it is definitely nice to have basketball practice, which serves as a great study break. It is a NCAA rule that student athletes are provided with at least one day off a week. This week our off day was Tuesday and I used it to my benefit to get a lot of studying in! The day of the week that is our off day usually varies but when we get into conference play, we have games on Wednesday and Saturday nights and Sunday becomes our day off. This weekend we have an exciting event going on within our Coe basketball family. After an open practice Saturday morning some of our alumni will be returning to play and then at night there will be a steak dinner, which serves as our fundraising event for the year. Parents, friends, family, alumni, and Coe supporters will be coming out on Saturday to enjoy the event, have fun, and to support Kohawk basketball. Every year we usually do one fundraising activity to provide funds to basketball to cut down on traveling expenses and meal costs (when we are on the road for games Coe covers most of our meals). Overall it is an exciting time as we continue to get ready for our first scrimmage next Wednesday against Kirkwood….I can’t wait!

Dan Onorato - Life As A Student Athlete

How’s it going Kohawk basketball blog followers? This past week was definitely a great week here at Coe College. Unlike most colleges, homecoming at Coe is a big deal for the current student body. Throughout the week there were several activities that took place such as powder puff football, a bonfire, and follies. During follies, skits are performed and its a time when the student body brings out all the dirt that they have on the homecoming court. The week is culminated on Saturday with the football game and the dance. This year we played Dubuque in football and won! The dance was really fun; it is located at a nice hotel located near Coe in the downtown area. There are shuttle buses to and from Coe to provide transportation to students and it is so close that some students elect to walk. The dance includes a Dj who plays current music and pretty much all of the Coe student body is there which is a good time. The dance is also open to alumni and it is always especially nice to see returning basketball players. Certain students choose to go out to dinner before the dance in a big group. What is really nice about the dance is that most people choose to go stag and not with a date which makes it a lot more fun for everyone. There really isn’t a dress code at the dance but most of us went with the classy shirt, tie, and black pants look. Overall homecoming week at Coe is always one of the best! It’s sad that it’s over but on another positive note we now have fall break upcoming next week, and oh yea practice starts in less than a week…can’t wait!

Dan Onorato - Life As A Student Athlete

As I am now almost a month into classes it is an extremely hectic time to be a student athlete. This week I have an exam in every class which means that I have four exams. At times like these certain people may feel more stressed out about balancing academics and athletics but I find that it is at these times that I am happiest to be a student athlete as basketball gives me an avenue to release a lot of stress that I have built up! Many professors have offered to come in at night a couple of days before the test and go over any last minute questions we as a class have about the upcoming exam. I have always found these sessions to be helpful and are no doubt a perk of going to a college with a great professor to student ratio. Students at Coe choose to study in a variety of places, but for me the library is always the place where I get the most work done. The Stewart Memorial Library is a place big enough where you can find a space all your own, and I am always motivated when I see a teammate or fellow athlete studying hard alongside me. During these busy times as a student I have found that it is best to take everything day by day and to try to manage my time efficiently. When I am at basketball or basketball workouts my focus is completely on basketball but when in the library or in the classroom my focus has to be 100 percent on academics. The exams here usually take place during the normal scheduled class time however in certain upper level courses the tests are arranged at an alternative time to give ample time to complete the test. For example in my business finance class we usually meet Tuesday and Thursdays but our test this week is Wednesday night. In exchange for coming in and taking the test at night class on Thursday is cancelled so it isn’t a bad deal. The amount of time that I study for each subject varies drastically depending on the class and the material that the exam covers. Usually professors put together a very general study guide which can be really helpful. This week is definitely going to be a challenge, but one that will soon be over!

Dan Onorato - Life As A Student Athlete

Hi my name is Dan Onorato and I am a junior Business major and Economics minor from the Chicagoland area. Throughout the season I will be blogging about life as a student athlete here at Coe. With the school year just starting as well as voluntary preseason workouts for basketball it is a busy time of year.
Balancing basketball and academic life at Coe can be challenging, but the small class sizes and personal relationships that are developed between students and their professors help to make life a little bit easier. The first week of class was low key for me. We were given an overview of what material was going to be covered and went over expectations for the semester. As classes continue to roll on I look forward to writing more about what it is like to be a student athlete at Coe College.