SLCC students train in speedskating at the Utah Olympic Oval for the 2022 Winter Games.
Danielle Amos turned a childhood love of roller skating into
dreams of someday becoming an Olympic short track speedskater, but reaching
peak level to compete on the world stage is a full-time commitment and Amos,
21, once thought she’d have to sacrifice a college education to reach her
athletic goals.
Recognizing many of their athletes are forced to choose
between their Olympic dreams and education, U.S. Speedskating (USS) and Salt
Lake Community College have developed an agreement waiving all tuition for USS
athletes for up to nine consecutive semesters. The agreement runs through at
least the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing and makes SLCC the official
higher education provider for U.S. Speedskating.
“The partnership with SLCC is a game-changer for our
athletes and organization,” said Ted Morris, executive director of USS. “Being
able to add outstanding educational opportunities to the existing training
programs we offer will provide our athletes with a life pathway off the
ice. We are focused on offering skaters the right training and academic
balance, and the partnership with SLCC goes a long way in helping us accomplish
this goal.”
When not in training, Olympic hopefuls attend classes at SLCC.
Currently, eight USS athletes are benefitting from the
agreement with SLCC. Amos, originally from Ohio, is a freshman at the college and
is interested in a degree in psychology. Someday she’d like a career counseling
people with a history of abuse or addiction, but first, her sights are set on
2022. “My ultimate goal, since I was a child, has been to become an Olympian,”
she said. “This partnership allows me to continue being a full-time,
world-class athlete and work toward my degree simultaneously. I’m extremely
thankful for the partnership with U.S. Speedskating and SLCC for providing
me with such an opportunity, as I believe my future career goals, after my
athletic career, will be much more attainable.”
For many Olympic hopefuls like Amos, intense training
programs leave little time for full-time jobs or schooling. Some athletes live
near or below the federal poverty line. In response to this, SLCC will leverage
federal Pell grants and SLCC Promise scholarship funds to guarantee that USS
athletes receive any financial aid for which they’re eligible to fully cover
their tuition at the college.
In addition to the tuition assistance made possible by the
partnership, many athletes may find SLCC’s flexible
scheduling and extensive online offerings allow them to work in addition to training
and attending school. “I never thought I’d be able to skate full time and go to
school and work part time all at once,” says Brett Perry, 25, a Michigan native
majoring in computer science at SLCC and a member of the USS. “Online classes
are amazing when you have a tight schedule.”
