Life After Graduating NSA

--- National Sports Academy is a school located in Lake Placid NY, where all the students that go to the prep-school must play a sport in order to attend the school. Student-Athletes that attend the school are to be prepared for college or other doors that might be opened to a particular student. There are a variety of student-athletes that attend the school, such as: skiers, girls/boys hockey players, and sliders. Each athletic team different from the next. Yet one question still remains for these athletes, whats next? What is life after graduating NSA?

Every student-athlete that graduates from National Sports Academy is promised to be placed somewhere after life at NSA. This could mean, college, a junior level boys hockey team, the Olympics, the USA Ski Team, or sometimes a Post-Grad year back at NSA to figure out what your next move is. For this small school of only 80+ kids there is no telling what these athletes are capable of for the next years to come. An example of an Olympic athlete graduate of NSA is in the video presented to the left, Bill Demong class of 1998.

For the boys hockey team at National Sports Academy there seems to be a plethora of answers for what life after graduating NSA will be like. For example, both seniors Torkel Bjarneman and Alex Kwok have decided to take the academic root before they move onto bigger hockey plans. Bjarneman had this to say; “Education is more important, it's not just about hockey. But I plan on hockey for the future.” Kwok also plans on going to University, but playing hockey at the same time, “I plan on doing both. I want to play hockey and go to University at the same time, kinda like what I'm doing now at NSA (National Sports Academy).”

Unlike fellow hockey players Bjarneman and Kwok, junior Austin Campbell and senior Jake Ruby decided to move onto Junior Men's hockey right away. Campbell told me; “Education is important, but I want to see what I have to move onto before college. But I will definitely be moving onto college afterwards.” Later adding, “I will definitely not be taking a PG (Post-Grad) year.” As well as Campbell, Jake Ruby decided he would be taking the same root, and firing this comment, “I just want to play some hockey.”

Men's NSA Hockey Huddle

While some guys at NSA know exactly what they want after graduating and moving on to their next step in life, there are some that just don't know. Seniors Wes Moon and Jakob Rasmussen have told me they are just simply undecided in what's next for them. Moon had said this after being asked about possibly taking a Post-Grad year at NSA, “Not sure yet, I haven't made up my mind on what I'm doing at all.”

Most of the boys seem to have what they want all figured out, as well as most of the girls hockey players at National Sports Academy but not all, junior Lenka Craigova says “I'd be willing to take a PG (Post-Grad) year, but I'm going to college regardless,” continuing to say “I'm just not sure on the PG year.” While being asked if she knows what division she'll end up in she says, “Too early to say, but I'll see what opportunities I get.” Along with Craigova, teammate Maggie Cross is in the same boat. “I know I want to major in engineering, but I'm not sure which college is a good fit for me just yet.” Cross hopes to go to college in the near future but she is just undecided in what that future is.

NSA Womens Hockey Team State Champions
2010.

Unlike teammate Craigova, senior Kelsey Lynch knows what she wants along with Emily Laurenzi (senior) and Martha Smith (senior). Kelsey Lynch telling me she wants to major in journalism and go to college and playing good division 3 hockey. And Martha Smith saying “I want to major somewhere in the medical field, and definitely go to college.” and continuing to say, “I won't PG, not worth the money to PG because I know that I'm only going D3 (division 3). My fall back school will be my first choice anyway, even though it doesn't have girls hockey.” Teammate Emily Laurenzi committed to Penn-State College in the summer of 2011 had it all figured out before senior year even began. Laurenzi stating “College is where I'll be, but nothing hockey wise after Penn-State.”

Chris Mazdzer, NSA Graduate and Olympian

As far as the sliders at National Sports Academy, skeleton Brian D'agostino plans to move on from sliding by going to college when he can. But while being asked if he plans to go far with sliding he had this to say, “Hope so, to early to tell. I'm new to the sport.” But before college he thinks he will probably end up with a Post-Grad year at NSA. Luge sliders that attend NSA are abroad and training hard for nationals, or are abroad doing the 1^st ever Youth Olympic Games. The two sliders are senior slider Aidan Kelly whose training hard in places like, Austria, Calgary, Germany, and Park City, while junior slider Tucker West is in Austria working hard in the 1^st ever Youth Olympic Games.

NSA Ski-Racers

Moving on to the skiers of National Sports Academy, junior skier racer Kyle Dunleavy tells me he is undecided in what he wants to do after life at NSA. But he does for sure know that he will not be taking a Post-Grad year, saying “I want to get out of here for sure, and move on to bigger things and places.” With only 80+ students at NSA, Dunleavy says, “By the time I graduate it'll just be time to move on.” When talking to sophomore Jake Wenn (free-style skier) Wenn is also not sure what's up next for him after graduating, but he says “I have time to figure it out.” Yet, Wenn does know that after graduating he doesn't plan on college, and tells me “I plan to move out west and work on being a pro-skier.” Most other skiers are out of school for a bit of traveling to Sugarloaf Maine to train and race.

This will be life after graduating NSA for all the student-athletes attending, some know what's up next for them, others not having decided yet. Life after graduating NSA is spilt almost equally for those who actually know what path is right for them, and others not having a clue yet. So whose to say what future NSA graduates will do for life after NSA.