As the annual college sports season swings into full motion ending 2024, the Thompson Rivers University Wolfpack have had a more successful recruiting season than previous years. Many sectors of the Wolfpack have taken the opportunity to recruit gifted athletes from outside of Canada and bring them to Kamloops for the chance to grow as not only a player, but as a student as well. Not only Canada West, but USports as a whole has seen the transition of many athletes from America, or even Europe to Canada be not only successful, but boundary pushing for the future of Canadian college athletics. These student athletes find themselves holding records, earning their degrees and even playing professional after school is finished. The stepping stones to these athletes being able to pursue their dream in Canada are not taken lightly though; problems can be faced by these international players. The change does not just happen on the court/field, it can be drastic from the classroom to even surviving in a new country with different standards of expectation.
As many of the students who travel to Canada for education and post secondary athletics have to deal with many new and abstract challenges along the lines of cultural adjustments to new perspectives with society. Kamloops may not be the be all and end all for many people who pursue athletics here in Canada; it definitely is a needed stepping stone though. Kamloops is regarded as the Tournament Capital of Canada, making athletics a primary source of not just entertainment, but passion as well. For these athletes who want to find a way to fit into a new city, Kamloops can be a great option.
Although the talk about students from other countries joining Thompson Rivers University is becoming a norm, not all international athletes hail from overseas; some are from right under our border. The United States has potentially some of the best competition when it comes to basketball at all levels. Out of the five organizations, holding up to ten divisions across the board, the competition is all strong, ranging to all the estimated 540,000 college basketball players in America (NCAA Research Center).
MESA Community College is a public community college out of San Diego. As it is a Junior College, athletes will do their two years of education here and then move to a different school to play their next round of post secondary athletics. Steve Stinson is one of the newest signees to the TRU Wolfpack who holds experience playing over the USA, especially down south in California. As there are many differences from Southern California and Kamloops, the change in from how the sport is played, to the day to day culture of Canada can be extreme at times. Stinson claims “the transition was definitely a difficult task, like committing to your sport in a different country is a big reality check”. When asked about his biggest struggles on the change, Stinson replied “keeping my head up in another country can be difficult at times, as the vibe and mentality here in Canada can be different, which makes it hard to transition. But Kamloops shows me a lot of love, which I am very thankful for.”
Arriving in Kamloops from another country can be a bit shocking at first. The international program here in British Columbia is growing every year; which means more athletes from all over the world get the chance to grow their talents and show their skills off across the sea. For these particular international players arriving, the culture shock can be over the top. As life may be so different back home, the transition can not only be tough, but the support in the transition phase may not be enough help. Sam Flowerday is a star volleyball player hailing from Proserpine, Australia. Standing out as a key performer and record holder for kills in a season, his achievements should not be looked over, especially when we see the immigration challenges faced in the process. Speaking to the positives of coming to Canada, Flowerday says it has been “honestly really easy, having a team of great guys that are welcoming made the whole moving situation a lot easier.” As it is a fortunate scenario to have a welcoming team, Flowerday also talks about the culture change; “Fitting into a new culture was definitely a struggle for the first while, as I had to find out a lot of things by myself. I learned a lot from the stepping stones I took to getting to where I am now. I try my best to lead international students in the right direction when they arrive, just so they know they have someone around.”
When you speak to international athletes, the first issues that can be a standout would reside around the VISA and Immigration process. The whole process is lengthy and can be very confusing with all the restrictions that take effect. These financial hurdles add more layers of complexity to an already challenging transition, highlighting the already mentioned burdens international athletes have to navigate beyond the court or field. USport level sports keeps no restrictions on how many athletes can be signed at once from international territory. The only problem faced is the amount of tuition and housing that must be paid for. The international rate for students is between $17,000 – $20,000 a year for undergraduate degrees, and can range higher for upper-graduate level students.
When international athletes are judged at first glance, it may seem as if academics and sports are the only two types of problems they have to deal with. Once you put the lives of these young adults under the microscope, it becomes easier to understand all the small challenges and bumps in the road that stack up beyond the court. As it takes longer than days, months or even years to become comfortable in a new country, the pressure in sports compounds with the need to adapt to new lifestyles and unfamiliar culture on a daily basis.
Tune into the Interview with Steve Stinson on his stay in Kamloops and fit on a Canadian University basketball team so far.
National Collegiate Athletic Association. (n.d.). Estimated probability of competing in college athletics. https://www.ncaa.org/sports/2015/3/2/estimated-probability-of-competing-in-college-athletics.aspx