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. Sept. 30, 2024 — Becoming one of the co-captains of Virginia Military Institute’s men’s soccer team, Colin Blandford ’26 didn’t expect to carry so much weight. It was a stark contrast to him serving as captain in high school.  

“I took a lot more responsibility than I thought,” he said. "It's nothing like what I actually thought.”

It meant meetings, engaging with people he hadn’t expected, boosting morale, spreading the message of their coach, and more. He said, as a captain, you’re acting as the liaison between the commandant staff and the team.  

"There are different issues that arise every day, because there’s so much going on here," he said. “You're advocating for somebody one day, you're trying to figure out a new rule, sign-outs, how things are going to work, and you're working with the coach as well to make sure that the team is successful on the field .” 

Blandford said he puts in extra time talking with his coach to ensure his messages are properly portrayed to the team.  

“I think the biggest thing I picked up on is how much more communication and my input are valued —  a lot more than I thought,” he said. 

It’s added to the responsibility as a team player and puts a heavier load on him as a cadet, but that’s the VMI way, he added.  

"Honestly, you're so forced to be on a schedule here, and they teach you so well how to manage your time and how your whole day is structured that it hasn't been too hard,” he said. “You go to practice in the morning, go to school all day, go to practice in the afternoon again, then after dinner, the rest of your night is for homework. That's kind of the schedule I follow every day.” 

Structure is what he needed. 

“I chose VMI because I knew a normal college wouldn't have suited me well, just based off how I was in high school,” Blandford said. “I knew that if I wanted to be serious about playing sports, that I need to be somewhere where structure was built in.” 

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.  

Learning proper communication has become a skill that Blandford relies on. He’s traveling a lot during the season, which means missing classes.  

“I'd say a lot of the problems that I ran into in my earlier years were solved just through communicating with my teachers more effectively,” he said. “The teachers here are very understanding of obligations and especially understanding of time management, because everybody here is strained for time. This year, I've noticed that it's not as difficult to keep up my work, as I found in the past, and that's based just off communication.” 

Blandford, an English major with a minor in business, has 18 and a half credits this semester, which means he must stay on top of his studies. With a heavy load of classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays, he spends the rest of the week tackling most of his work.  

Finding his goal

Blandford has been playing soccer since he was three years old. He played several sports growing up, but soccer was the one that stuck out — it was the one he excelled at. He likes the constant flow of action and how the game can change in just seconds. Mainly, he likes being part of the team. 

“As the years progressively go on, I think being part of the team is amazing. Those are my best friends,” he said. “I spend the most time with them. It's huge that this group gets along. It's a tiny school, so you see them at school all day. You go to sports with them all day. You live with them.” 

He credits his coach for bringing the group together. 

"All the guys within the group have done a great job of taking care of each other and buying into what we're trying to do,” he said. 

Laura Peters Shapiro
Communications & Marketing
VIRGINIA MILITARY INSTITUTE