Scholarship takes Smith to US study

HUGE OPPORTUNITY: Jacob Smith will be attending college in Kentucky.PHOTOS/SUPPLIED

Crack Carterton swimmer Jacob Smith is off to the United States.

The Chanel College student, who turned 18 this month, has accepted the offer of a full athletic scholarship to the University of the Cumberlands but rather than take up their invite to join their swim team in January next year he will move there in the US autumn (August 2015), meaning he will be able to complete his age group swimming commitments here and enjoy the rest of the New Zealand summer at the same time.

His intention is to find work over that period ... "any offers considered".

Smith's desire to continue swimming competitively while completing an academic degree is testament to the supportive environment and excellent coaching provided by Russell Geange and the Carterton Swimming Club.

Under Geange's guidance he has performed outstandingly at Wairarapa and national level over a variety of strokes, including setting a Wairarapa record for the 50m breaststroke when he became the first swimmer from this province to break the magical 30sec mark and he will retain his affiliation with the Carterton club and Swim New Zealand while competing in the US.

The process of applying for a US scholarship has been exciting and nail-biting.

The application process required Smith to sit the American SAT exams. His SAT score was well above the national average, placing him in the top 10 per cent of students.

During the application process he received multiple offers with each school presenting a variety of academic programmes and all prospective swim teams having multiple coaching, physiotherapy and medical staff.

The facilities in which he will train in the US are a huge leap above those of Carterton's three-lane pool. They include a purpose-built swimming complex containing 10-lane pools from 25m to Olympic size and a full gymnasium.

His programme will include up to 20 hours of training a week incorporating a combination of work in the pool as well as weight training monitored by expert staff.

While Smith will be part of the University of the Cumberlands swim team, a huge benefit of the US athletic scholarship programme is their primary focus on academic performance and as Chanel College Proxime Accessit 2014 he will be joining the UC Patriots with the highest academic qualifications.

Coaches are required to follow strict guidelines with regard to the maximum number of athlete training hours. Most importantly training hours are restricted and not compulsory within specific timeframes around exams. The academic programmes being offered were the deciding factor in Smith's choice of university.

While based in Kentucky he will be studying towards a double degree in applied physics and civil engineering.

This scholarship covers all academic and swimming-related expenses which include school fees, race fees, uniforms and travel. One of the coaches said: "Being on a college team is as close as you can get to being a professional athlete without the monthly pay cheque."

With family in the neighbouring state of West Virginia, Smith anticipates being well looked after during school breaks.