By Ian Asabo
Uganda Christian University has always been known for producing some of the best athletes who have gone on to do amazing work in the sports field whether professionally or administratively.
Uganda Christian University (UCU) offers a variety of sports including football, basketball, volleyball, tennis, netball, and more with the basketball courts being the crown jewel of the facilities as they play host to some of the National Basketball league games.
According to the sports administrator, Samuel David Lukaire, students that get to represent the university are got through different means which include being scouted at lower levels, recommendations by various coaches as well as tryouts to determine who will get the limited spots up for grabs by the university.
“The athletes participating in different sports are chosen based on merits of character, skill-level, discipline and philosophies of the coaches to ensure we get the best athletes to represent the university,” he says.
The lives of student-athletes around the world are never an easy one. The constant need to keep their grades up while expectations of performing at the highest level in their various fields is one that they have to get accustomed to as they remain the same even when they go professional.
In most schools, athletes that represent their institutions are sponsored in many ways including clearing their tuition, meals etc and that is no different at Uganda Christian University.
Student-athletes at the university take no shortcuts as they are required to meet the required academic students as other students while also competing for high stake national championships like the National Basketball league and FUFA Women’s Superleague.
Mutebi “Vannox” Ivan, a midfielder for the UCU Cardinals who is also pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering says that it is all about finding the right balance when it comes to playing football and trying to excel in class.
“I try my best to give my full attention to what I am doing at the specified time, when it is time to train and play for the university, I am concentrating on that, same as it is when I have to concentrate in class”.
Playing for the university has provided opportunities for these athletes to represent their respective countries which is always an honor like Canons and Lady Cardinals captain who have Titus Lual and Hasifah Nassuna who have gone on to represent their countries at high stake international competitions.
The relationship between sports and academies has always been a successful one at the university and long may it continue.
