Ckay's Story: One of Commitment and Excellence

Dr. Aribisala, Kolade Christopher, popularly known as Ckay, stands out as one of the best performers in football.

 During his time as a student, he was deeply immersed in the sport, representing his class, faculty, and hall in numerous competitions. 

His football journey saw him participating in a variety of tournaments, including the Seals Cup, Dean’s Cup, and the Barrister Rotimi Inter-floor Competition.

A standout performer, he clinched the Dean’s Cup title five times and secured a gold medal at the Barrister Rotimi Inter-floor Competition. While the trophies for the Seals Cup and Inter-faculty competitions eluded him, his contributions to football outside the campus were equally notable.

He was an active member of several football teams outside his school, demonstrating his commitment to the sport on a broader scale.

Ckay’s ability to balance the demands of competitive sports, in this case, football, with his academic responsibilities highlights his exceptional time management skills and dedication. His story is a testament to the possibilities that lie at the intersection of academic success and athletic achievement.

With an impressive track record that includes multiple victories in prestigious tournaments, Ckay epitomizes the ideal blend of scholarly commitment and athletic prowess. 

In this exclusive interview, we delve into his remarkable journey, exploring how he navigated the challenges of student life while making a significant impact in the world of football.

Can you describe your involvement in sports during your time as a student?

As a student, I was largely involved in football. I was a player for my class, for my faculty and for my hall. I participated in numerous football tournaments including Seals cup, Deans cup, Barrister Rotimi Inter-floor competition. I won the Dean’s cup about 5 times, I also got a gold medal during the Barrister Rotimi Inter-floor competition. But we never won the Inter-faculty or Seals cup.

I also participated in some football competitions outside school and was a member of some football teams outside the campus.

How did you manage your time between academics and sports engagement?

I think it’s all about setting priorities, and for me I placed premium priority on my academics. Being in Vet can be very demanding with the voluminous coursework. Balancing Vet with extracurricular activities can be very tough but I placed my academics on top of my priority list and dedicated only my free time to football. If I have no spare time, that means there is no room for football for me.

Also, since the beginning of each semesters are usually quite free, I utilize the opportunity to partake in football activities, then I’d start reducing it gradually till I do not play football anymore when tests and exams are coming up. With that, I had no issues with time.

What strategies did you find most effective in balancing your academic workload with your sports commitments?

Like I said earlier, my top priority is my academics. Reducing my sporting activities during crucial academic periods was an effective strategy for me. I put in efforts throughout the semester, and I do more during these crucial times because I do realize that I must have played a lot at the beginning of the semester. 

Starting from mid-semester to the end of the semester, my sporting activities go from a hundred to zero. Also, I place myself on a compulsory study routine no matter how exhausted I am (even after a tedious football match) I make it a must to read even when it is not comfortable just because I know that I’ve lost a lot of time engaging in other things other than my academics. I try to rob myself of comfort so as to study to cover lost grounds. That is what I do to balance it out. 

Lastly, I try to listen in class and gather as much information as possible.

Did participating in sports impact your academic performance positively or negatively, and how did you manage this?

For starters, sports didn’t impact my academics negatively. But positively? I wouldn’t think so. Although, there are certain exceptions certain where I spent the time I should have used for studying on the pitch or where I got super exhausted after playing football and couldn’t read as I should.

But because I do make out time to make up for whatever I’ve missed, It didn’t affect me negatively because I had the liberty of choosing when to stop to focus fully on academics.

In addition, despite the fact that I nursed some ambitions such as being part of the school team, the Super force team and the faculty team simultaneously, the intense workload of Vet. School didn’t permit that, so I settled for not doing too much at the same time as a Vet. Student, and this prevented the negative effects.

Were there any specific challenges you faced while juggling both academics and sports? How did you overcome them?

Time is always the challenge when it comes to doing two things together. Academics and sports were two things I really liked (Sorry, I didn’t really like the academic part but I was in school for that purpose and I needed to do the needful)

There were days where I wished I had more than 24 hours; Especially with the fact that the academic calendar waits for no one, you can play all the football you like but you’ll still have to write all your tests and exams when they come up.

If it will negatively affect my academics, I cut down on and starve myself of football. 

There were times I got home, exhausted from participating in the Dean’s cup tournament, but I’ll still go for TDB because I was certain that I’ll sleep off till the next day if I stayed in my room to read. I just saw them as part of the sacrifices you make to achieve your goal.

What advice would you give to current students who are interested in excelling both academically and in sports?

Well, as a vet student, it can be very challenging. My advice to these students is to only be members of sporting teams where they understand your position as a student.

I was once a member of a team that weren’t keen on academics and they expected me to turn up for all the matches, I kept telling them that I was a Vet student in UI for that matter I had to eventually leave the team because they couldn’t fully get it.

Be sure you have a mastery of time management, be sure that the sport you are interested in will not affect your academics. You are in school to get a degree, your involvement in sports should be secondary.

Dedicate only your spare time to your preferred sport. If you find it hard to cope as a student even without extracurricular activities, you need to let go of participating in sports to focus on your academics. 

Know yourself and know what you are capable of doing and only join teams that will give you time off because they understand your position as a student.