July 13, 2005

BJ Jones: Balancing Athletics and Academics

It's 5:20 in the morning and BJ Jones groggily reaches over to turn off his screeching alarm. It's just another day and just an ordinary early morning for Jones -- a COSAM Leader, Auburn University swimmer and 22-year-old biomedical sciences major from LaGrange, Ga.

During the season, days start early for Jones and the rest of the Auburn swim team: as student-athletes, they face the difficulty of balancing school, swimming schedules with demanding workouts several times a day, and college life. For Jones, however, the experience has been full of rewards.

"The most difficult part of being a student-athlete is balancing the athletic workload with school. You have to think about what's important to you and what you want to get out of your college experience. I know the things I have to do to reach my goals," he said, "and it's just a matter of prioritizing things."

Jones plans on attending medical school to become a dermatologist after his graduation in May of 2006. He is an 11-time All-American specializing in mid-distance freestyle, the SEC champion in the 500 freestyle, and the second-fastest 500 freestyle swimmer in Auburn's history. In addition, he has been named twice as the SEC Swimmer of the Week, three times as a USA Swimming Scholastic All-American, and was the team captain for the 2005 men's swim team.

As the captain, Jones said he felt a responsibility to lead by example.

"It's a huge honor, and it is a responsibility as the rest of the team looks to you for moral support, leadership, and just day-to-day, not taking the short cuts or the easy way out in training," he said. "In championship meets, when the lights are bright, it's all about who can step up under pressure...it's easy for me to do that because this team is willing to respond and do the things they need to do to get the job done."

At the end of the day, Jones is proud of his time at Auburn and all that he has experienced and accomplished.

Jones feels that his education at Auburn has done a good job of preparing him for the future and is grateful for the support he has received from counselors and support staff while at Auburn.

"I knew that this was the best swimming program in the country and that this was the best place to reach my athletic goals," he said. "It has worked out great -- academically, this has been a fabulous place to develop and get into medical school."

With help from Student-Athletic Services, teachers and advisors, Jones has worked hard to balance his demanding academic workload with the hours he spends working out and in the pool. Most swimmers spend 20-30 hours each week pursuing their athletic goals either by swimming, lifting weights, or doing cardio. While this schedule is demanding, for Jones, it is simply the price the team must pay to be the best.

"I feel like I've had a fantastic college experience," he said. "I would never change anything, and I wouldn't take anything in the world for this experience."