Conversation 14

Listen to a conversation between a student and her coach.

Coach: Good workout, Cindy. You’re going to be in good shape for the intermurals next month.

Cindy: (gasping) Yeh. Whoo! If you don’t kill me first. Wah! Whoosh….ohh.

Coach: OK, I get the hint. You can call it a day. Just be back here tomorrow at the same time, eh?

Cindy: I’ll be here, but… can I talk to you a minute about something, Coach?

Coach: Sure. What is it?

Cindy: Coach, I’m not, uh, I’m not doing so good in my courses this term.

Coach: Huh? What? I thought you were an ‘A’ student. How bad could your grades be?

Cindy: Pretty bad, coach. The courses are getting harder. My grades are pretty awful in Cost Accounting, and I’m failing outright in Economics. I’m just not getting the work done that I need to do. I just don’t have enough time.

Coach: How’d you do on your midterms?

Cindy: Not so good either. 62 percent on the Economics test, 73 percent in Cost Accounting. And 79 percent in Marketing- and that’s supposed to be an easy course! I’m not going to graduate, with those kinds of scores. I’ve got to get a lot more studying in before the finals, that’s all there is to it.

Coach: Oh. Um. So?

Cindy: So… I’m not sure how much time I can give to football anymore. I was wondering, wondering, uh…. how would it be if maybe I moved back to the B Squad- kind of ‘in reserve’, so to speak?

Coach: ‘In reserve’?! Cindy, you’re the best forward we’ve got!

Cindy: I dunno, Coach- Marly’s good too. She just needs a chance to show her stuff.

Coach: Yeah, but- she’s not you, Cindy, and I- the team- we’re counting on you. We’ve got to take on SFU first off next month, and Marly’s hardly played with the A Squad at all so far. I just don’t know whether there’s time to break her in now.

Cindy: Oh, I can work with her during practice, Coach. She can do it, I know she can, and–

Coach: Wait a minute, wait a minute- don’t we have any other option?

Cindy: What option is that?

Coach: Well… how about a tutor? Yeah, how about us finding you a tutor for those courses? Somebody that, you know, could kind of give you what you need to pass your finals.

Cindy: Aw, Coach, I’ve gotta learn all this stuff myself. There’s life after football, you know! There’s a lot of competition for jobs out there when I graduate- IF I graduate!

Coach: (laughs) I know, Cindy. You’re absolutely right- I just don’t want to lose you right before the tournament. You’ve worked so hard to get this far- and so have all your teammates.

Cindy: Yeah. That’s why I feel so bad about this. But I need this time to study, I really do.

Coach: I know I’m just clutching at straws now, but how about this, then?- I let you work Marly into your position in A Squad this week, and then you take the next two weeks completely off from practice, study hard, and- when’s your first exam?

Cindy: Uh… Economics is first. March 30th.

Coach: OK, you take all the time off you need until then, and if you pass that exam, come back for the first round of the tournament at least, OK? That’s the big one. If we can get past SFU, then confidence will carry us along from there. And we’ll also have time then to reassess your situation. Deal?

Cindy: Can’t make a deal yet, Coach, I just can’t. Let me sleep on it, will you? Let me look at my schedule and try to figure this all out, and then I’ll get back to you. I promise.

Coach: And think about that tutor, too. We’ll get you one of those too, if you think it will help. I don’t want to jeopardize your career any more than you do, and grades come first in my books, too.

Cindy: Thanks, really- I feel like you’re taking real good care of me.

Coach: Yeah, well, just take your time- you gotta do what you gotta do. But think it over. You’re going to leave a big hole in the offense if you take off.

Cindy: Thanks. Anyway, I’ll be in tomorrow afternoon for more of your torture. Right now I gotta take a shower and get out of here.

Coach: Good. No partying tonight, you hear?

Cindy: Got you, Coach. G’night.