I don't know if this topic has already been touched but I'm really interested in how skaters cope with education in different countries and how it impacts on the athletes' training. I can provide first-hand informations about mine (Italy), since my boyfriend has a junior national team member among his pupils (he is a skier but the rules are the same as far as public education is concerned).
Students have 210 days of school per year and they have to attend at least 160 to be admitted to the next year (plus, of course, fulfilling the other requirements). The boy in question however is allowed to skip two out of the six school days each week for trainings plus competitions days; moreover he can skip scheduled written texts if they are on training or competitions days (he has to do them on the first possible occasion) and he is allowed to have scheduled oral exams (the other children on the other hand are at the teacher's mercy, as far as this point is concerned).
Additional informations for better understanding: in Italy we have public, religious and private schools. Public and religious are just the same, as far as requirements are concerned; private schools are VERY elastic in terms of requirements but they are basically rubbish as far as education is concerned (this is probably very different from other countries and it's actually a bit complicated to explain). Homeschooling is very rare in general, as far as I know (it would probably be incredibly costly, unless one of the parents is a teacher).
In the last few years our government has tried to open a new kind of public school for those who are involved in sports which are less strict and make it easier to attend trainings; however they are still very few, usually located in big cities and still in an experimental phase. Of course, football (soccer?) players in big teams face a different situation: these teams have the resources to integrate schools for their juniors members which are not in conflict with their training hours and still fulfill the public school requirements. Moreover, there are several athletes who go to universities during their competitive years (several national football players have a degree).
In conclusion, it seems to me that our education system is still quite demanding, especially for athletes who are supposed to have their peak during teenage years, such as skating (also gymnasts come to mind).
How does it work in other countries (or groups)? Does it have an impact on the trainings (for example, reduced training hours or training early in the morning/late in the evening)?
Thanks in advance.
Students have 210 days of school per year and they have to attend at least 160 to be admitted to the next year (plus, of course, fulfilling the other requirements). The boy in question however is allowed to skip two out of the six school days each week for trainings plus competitions days; moreover he can skip scheduled written texts if they are on training or competitions days (he has to do them on the first possible occasion) and he is allowed to have scheduled oral exams (the other children on the other hand are at the teacher's mercy, as far as this point is concerned).
Additional informations for better understanding: in Italy we have public, religious and private schools. Public and religious are just the same, as far as requirements are concerned; private schools are VERY elastic in terms of requirements but they are basically rubbish as far as education is concerned (this is probably very different from other countries and it's actually a bit complicated to explain). Homeschooling is very rare in general, as far as I know (it would probably be incredibly costly, unless one of the parents is a teacher).
In the last few years our government has tried to open a new kind of public school for those who are involved in sports which are less strict and make it easier to attend trainings; however they are still very few, usually located in big cities and still in an experimental phase. Of course, football (soccer?) players in big teams face a different situation: these teams have the resources to integrate schools for their juniors members which are not in conflict with their training hours and still fulfill the public school requirements. Moreover, there are several athletes who go to universities during their competitive years (several national football players have a degree).
In conclusion, it seems to me that our education system is still quite demanding, especially for athletes who are supposed to have their peak during teenage years, such as skating (also gymnasts come to mind).
How does it work in other countries (or groups)? Does it have an impact on the trainings (for example, reduced training hours or training early in the morning/late in the evening)?
Thanks in advance.
