Virginia Military Institute’s cadet-athletes have to juggle cadet life, heavy academic course loads, and their NCAA Division I sport. Committed to both academic and athletic pursuits, balancing their rigorous schedule in both sports and school requires a certain level of commitment and discipline. Behind the Balance is a series that focuses on those cadet-athletes and how they handle the hurdles of the day-to-day. 

LEXINGTON, Va. March 18. 2025 — College was the last thing on Cameron Thomas’ ’27 radar in high school. Instead, he was looking to enlist in the military once he graduated. That was until he started track his junior year, specifically competing in pole vault. 

Thomas admits he used to fear heights, but now catapulting over the pole is no big deal. Instead it’s something he highly excels at. Recently, he broke a more than two decade old Virginia Military Institute record for pole vault for indoor track and broke the record last year for outdoor track. In 2024, he also won the pole vault individual title at the SoCon Championships for All-SoCon recognition. 

“Pole vaulting is a very mental sport so staying calm and focused is crucial to competing at this high of a level,” he explained. “Trusting the process on one day that you have practiced for the entire year can be very stressful, especially in front of a large audience.” 

To combat that, he’s come up with breathing techniques and nutrition plans for the days leading up to competition.  

"As long as you do as much as you can to prepare yourself, everything you do on that day during competition should feel easy and effortless,” he said. “My best days are ones where I'm not forcing anything. So, in a way pole vaulting on competition day should just feel like a run and jump; everything else is irrelevant.” 

Keeping stress down and staying organized are ways he stays in the zone.  

Cadet-athletes at VMI not only have their responsibilities with their selected sport but cadet duties on top of that. Cadets are also required to take physical fitness classes twice a week, participate in ROTC all four years, prepare for room and uniform inspections, practice for parade, guard duty, and more.

Taking 16 and a half credits as an economics and business major, Thomas says this is a lighter load than he had last year with over 18 credits. His days usually start at 6:30 a.m. when he gets up and heads to breakfast. This semester he has classes until noon, which allows him several hours to complete any class assignments.  

“The schedule I have right now is really nice because right after my classes, that's what I'm the most focused,” he explained. “So, getting right into my homework, I can get pretty far ahead.” 

Sometimes, he can fit in a power nap before heading to practice at 4 p.m., which lasts until 7 p.m. He eats at 7:30 p.m. then studies until he’s ready for bed, which he has a pretty rough stop at 9:30 p.m. 

“I had a bad habit last year going to bed at like 10:30 p.m. because that's when taps is, so it’s like the average bedtime. But I realize if I get way more sleep, I feel a lot happier,” he said.  

Originally, Thomas was a biology major. Enrolling in the Summer Transition Program prior to matriculating, he took a class with Col. Wade Bell, but instead of focusing on biology, Thomas was trading stocks.  

"He would always laugh at me because I'd be in the back of the class just yelling whenever I make money,” he said. “He really prompted me to go toward the economics and business major, because I didn't even know that was the thing.” 

Thomas said he is interested in learning how the economy works, especially this year with his more major-centric classes that are focused on it. He said in high school he was stock trading.  

"I got really obsessed with stock trading and learning how numbers work. I've always been a math guy as well, way more than writing or reading,” he commented “I like making money or sometimes losing money. You know, it's all process.” 

Coming to VMI was a process for him as well, especially learning how to adapt to a strict schedule. 

“I think I’m a lot more mature since I've been here. Before I was doing things like staying up late, and not really thinking about how my days coincide with each other on like a day-to-day basis,” he admitted. “I'd always wait to do my work until the last minute. Now I realize that getting it done early is going to be easier in the long run.” 

He’s also committed to his daily practices at track. 

"It was very difficult when I first got here during the Rat Line, because we also had the other stuff. Like last year, I kind of went down with my progression, because I was doing push-ups before the meets, I was marching in new boots and walking in low quarters. A lot of stuff to get used to.” 

He’s learned how to hold himself accountable. His growth in understanding responsibility will help him in the future, especially with dreams of joining the World Class Athlete program with the U.S. Army. Currently, he’s seeking to commission into the Army. The program enables athletes to train for the Olympics. If that doesn’t pan out, he’s looking to be part of the Finance Corps in the Army. 

Laura Peters Shapiro
Communications & Marketing
VIRGINIA MILITARY INSTITUTE