We’ve all been there. You check your calendar or get an email, and you realize that your homework assignment is overdue. Maybe you got wrapped up in other assignments and clubs. More likely, you were up late binging a TV show or hanging out with your friends. So, you email your professor with a wish and a prayer, hoping for forgiveness in the form of an extension.

Of course, most of us weren’t in Milan or about to compete in the Olympics when doing this. But that’s the situation Canadian figure skater Madeline Schizas found herself in this weekend when she realized an assignment for her sociology class was due on Friday (who schedules homework during the Opening Ceremony anyway?) and not Sunday. Safe to say her reasoning is a lot more understandable than most people who have found themselves scrambling to complete schoolwork.

Shortly after sending a message to her professor, Schizas sent one to her 33,000-plus followers on Instagram. In addition to politely apologizing for her oversight, she made sure to include an official press release of her participation, just in case her professor didn’t believe her. The grind of a student athlete truly never stops.

 

Madeline Schizas emails her professor asking for an extension while she competes in the Olympics.
Madeline Schizas emails her professor asking for an extension while she competes in the Olympics.
@maddieschizas on Instagram

This isn’t Schizas’ first rodeo, both in terms of completing homework and skating in the Olympics. She participated in three events at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, finishing 18th in the women’s single skating event and helping Canada to a fourth-place result in the team event.

A native of Oakville, Ontario, the same hometown as Canadian women’s hockey star Brianne Jenner, Schizas attends nearby McMaster University. She is studying in the school’s human behavior program. That makes sociology a pretty important class for her – but the Olympics are about as time sensitive as they get.

Schizas has a busy calendar even with her coursework notwithstanding. On Friday, she finished in sixth place in the women’s single skating short program, using a routine inspired by the classic movie franchise The Lion King. Her work paid off, as Canada claimed a top-five spot to reach the team final.

On top of all of that, Schizas will turn 23 years old a week from Saturday. She’s got a lot to celebrate, but also some work to do – although hopefully not for a little while.