Inside the Lives of UTM Student-Athletes in Medicine
The benefits of balancing sports and studies
Off the field, Kit Ross (KR) and Sierra Vaillancourt (SV) are second-year medical students at UTM. On the field, they are members of UTM’s Tri-Campus Women’s outdoor soccer team. Today, they’re joining us to discuss their experience playing for the Tri-Campus team and share how they balance hitting the books and hitting the pitch.
What inspired you to join the Tri-Campus team?
SV: I actually heard about the Tri-Campus league way back when I was touring UTM for my undergrad degree! When the opportunity came to attend UTM for medical school, I was eager to get involved with the soccer team. I didn’t have a ton of soccer experience, but wanted a more competitive league in addition to intramurals to help me push my abilities. I liked the idea of being in a league that offered weekly practices in addition to games to build a stronger relationship with my teammates and have more opportunities to improve my skills. It was also exciting to show some campus pride and represent UTM.
KR: I learned about Tri-Campus sports at an extracurricular fair as part of our orientation during the first week of medical school. Having played NCAA soccer in Ohio during my undergraduate studies, I was excited to learn that there was a chance to continue playing competitive soccer even during medical school. As a new student at UTM and newly back in Canada after four years of university in the US, joining the Tri-Campus soccer team gave me an amazing opportunity to be a part of the campus community and build some truly meaningful friendships!
What are some of the benefits to joining a Tri-Campus team, especially from a medical student perspective?
SV: I think for students in any program it’s a great way to stay accountable to a regular exercise schedule which can play a big role in managing stress. It’s also a great chance to meet people outside of your program. In medicine, we tend to be in our own bubble because all of our classes are in one building, so it can be hard to get to know other students.
Sports in general are a good way to practice the process of learning new things, getting outside of your comfort zone, identifying your strengths and weaknesses, and working on a team, all of which are valuable skills in medicine (and any career).
KR: Being part of a Tri-Campus team has helped me build so many skills that I know will be applicable in my future career. Collaboration, leadership, perseverance, time management, and receiving feedback are all skills needed in a physician. I am able to improve all these skills being on the Tri-campus soccer team all while having fun and making friends. Sometimes I feel pressure to spend all my extracurricular time on research or clinical experiences like some of my peers, but I stay with the team because I love playing soccer and I know I am building critical skills that future employers will recognize.
How do you manage the demands of medical school while also playing soccer, and what recommendations do you have for other students managing sports and school?
SV: It can take some extra planning and make for longer days on campus but it’s so worth it! Just the way scheduling worked, we had practice Wednesday nights and then had to be back on campus for 7:30 AM for clinical skills classes on Thursday mornings which was a bit tiring. On the bright side, it did force me to stay on top of my preparation for clinical skills since there was no time to cram! I also tried to be productive in moments with downtime, like spending most of the bus rides to games reading notes or doing flashcards.
In terms of tips for other students, it’s all about knowing yourself well enough to determine how long tasks are going to take to complete and prioritizing from there. Organization is another key, but Kit is far more organized than I am so I’ll leave those tips to her!
KR: Balancing medical school and soccer can be challenging, but it is certainly manageable if you plan ahead. I’m someone who likes to make a daily or weekly schedule ahead of time to help me plan out when I’ll have time to complete assignments or study and also block out dedicated time for soccer and working out. It can be stressful or feel overwhelming to split time between sports and school, but I truly believe that the two complement each other. I see soccer as a needed break from my studies and study time as a needed break for my body.
My advice for others when trying to balance being a student-athlete is to make dedicated time for school and sport and be fully present when participating in each. You can only be in one place at a time, so while playing your sport, don’t stress about your unfinished assignment or your test tomorrow. Fully engage and let your mind take a break. Then, when you return to study time, you will be more refreshed and feel more satisfied that you gave your all in your sport.
You can catch the Tri-Campus indoor soccer team in action in their semi-final game on Sunday, March 15th at Varsity Field downtown (kick off time will be announced and posted by @utm_sports on Instagram)! Go Eagles!
Practice until 9 PM and then back on campus for 7:30 AM clinical skills? That’s dedication right there!
This is such an inspiring read! I love how both of you emphasize that sports and academics actually complement each other rather than compete for time. Kit’s point about being fully present in whatever you’re doing is such solid advice – I think a lot of us struggle with that mental juggling act. Sierra, your tip about using bus rides to games for studying is brilliant too. It’s easy to feel guilty about doing extracurriculars in med school when everyone else seems focused solely on research and clinical work, so it’s refreshing to hear that you’re both sticking with what you love while building those teamwork and leadership skills. Good luck in the semi-finals!
Sierra and Kit!!! You both are academic-athletic superstars and it was an absolute pleasure to share the field with you last year!