Life of a Student Athlete
November 19, 2020
A series of interviews with Bridgewater athletes to gain perspective of what college life is like in someone else’s shoes.
Episode 5, Nov. 19
Episode 3
Episode 2
Episode 1
Transcript Follows
[Music Intro]
0:34
I’m here today with Summer Schloss
0:38
you’re from UAB women’s basketball in Alabama. Okay. So tell me how yall are say hi to the people Summer. (laughs) Hi everyone.
0:54
So tell me how your life is with being in Alabama for one.
1:00
Okay, well, it’s a lot different from well, I’m from North Carolina, Gastonia. And it’s a lot different from there. Like, I mean the city is Birmingham is like, it’s not so much like Atlanta is a little slower than Atlanta, but it’s, it’s in the city. We’re like in the heart of the city, and it’s really beautiful. Honestly, there’s like a lot of trees and everything. I love the scenery. That’s great. I’m very happy.
1:32
And I recently visited Birmingham. I love it, too. It was perfect. It was just Yeah, like you say, like a mini Atlanta. Are you on campus off campus?
1:46
Well, I’m technically on campus, but,I live like, two meters off the campus. My apartment is right there.
1:56
Okay, this good is good. So are you having
2:04
it’s close? Like we couldn’t walk to school if we need to. Okay, it is good. Since I’m imagining that UAB is like a big campus, right? Yeah, we have a medical school as well connected to it. So there’s like seven different hospitals. So it’s pretty. Oh my god. Okay. So How are y’all workouts and are yall conditioning is going like, are yall still in preseason or are yall about to play or What?
2:29
Oh, we’re still going to have a summer, um, this year, because of like, COVID and everything. And we’re still getting logistics situated. So started in August, and like we’ve been building up ours since then. And it’s like, basically, still preseason, like, we were doing what we would have done over the summer. And like, everything is kind of strict and like, fit to a tee. Like, with us, we have morning workouts, our schedule change this year, because they’re building a new practice facility for us. So we have changed our normal practice time. So our practice time, like from eight to 12. And so we have, wait, first we got to wake up, get checked in, at like 7:30 then got to get to the gym at eight, and then wait till 830 after weights, we go straight into practice. And before practice we like do a little. So we shoot and make our shots and like calculate our percentages and then we get into practice and pre-practice and we get around to 11:30 ish.
3:40
Okay, so did they provide you lunch throughout the day or breakfast and stuff like that?
3:44
Um, no, not yet. Because like, we’re still in like preseason official practice yet. Like, season like, they provide more news.
3:56
Okay, okay. Okay, that’s great. Um, so how is your school work? Like, how do you how are you dealing with schoolwork on top of being like a big student athlete at a D1 college.
4:10
I hope everything is actually been a blessing, because I’m a biology major. And so like, all my classes, were in class, and they’re long, but not what’s on zoom. So so it’s a lot easier, like working from home. And just like working at your own pace, whereas you’re in the classroom and I’m sitting in labs for like, three hours and it’s a little tough. As long as you can’t eat a drink. He just got to stay locked in. Oh, wow.
4:46
So speaking of being a bio biology, so I can imagine you’re like class load and workload like just being huge, right? Yeah.
4:56
So what made you be a biology major like what influenced to be that
5:01
Well, what I want to be a pediatrician. And so it has all the requirements for med school science, type of biology.
5:13
So one thing about a biology major, I like a big like, do you have like a set schedule when you plan your work, and when you have basketball, do you normally do your homework at night or in the morning or anything like that.
5:24
Oh, so in the morning, class, like from one to three, usually. And so it usually gets done in the afternoon. And then sometimes, if it’s a long day, I go to sleep early. And I just like, wake up and knock it out in the morning, like 5am before everything gets started.
5:45
Yeah, that’s definitely how it be. So yeah, a big difference.
5:53
Oh, go ahead. Go ahead. Good. You’re more than welcome. Oh, sorry. Also, like cause with this COVID and stuff, like everything is chicken with practice. So like, every week, we have to get Kobe tested. And so we have to wake up every morning at 6:30 to get tested, like once a week. And then every like three weeks or so. We get antibody tested to see for Yeah.
6:16
Yeah, that’s a big difference between like D1 colleges and D2 colleges and, and D3 college like they’re really heavy and knocking on hard on on the COVID situation. That yall have to be tested every week. I know you hate that. I know you hate that. Yeah, cuz the first time they have heard me go like, all the way up your nostril and like around. And that was like the worst like pain ever. Like they say just last five seconds. But it is literally the worst five seconds ever.
6:46
When while I’m like, since it’s weekly, we’re able to do it ourselves. And it’s a lot better. It’s not it’s not great, but it’s better than them doing it. Yeah, definitely that I feel like you didn’t got kind of used to it now. Yeah, I got used to it when I used to waking up early to take the test.
7:09
Do it like you do on your own? Like, do you do at the same time? Are you just oh, I mean, when I say I’m doing I’m doing it on my own. I mean, I have stuff with us to police it facility to get it done. And they watch me like do it. But um, they watch me do it. They don’t like do it themselves. But okay, okay. Okay. Interesting. So how is your team adjusting to this, I like, how everything was a team, your coach, like how did you think he or she feel about? Oh, well we had a team meeting today Yeah, to me. So like, um, because of COVID, we weren’t able to go on our like team retreat, or like, do a lot of team building stuff. So it’s kind of been been a struggle, like as far as that because we had to social distance a lot. So I trip to Florida canceled, like our annual trip. And we just have to been working around that. So we basically, like we’re a close knit team, like we have a half more than half our team is new. But like, we’re very close as it is, but it would help for the team building. And that’s just like the missing piece, I think.
8:17
Yeah, I know, it’s probably hard for a lot of freshmen in college, especially yet, such a big school trying to get used to everything and, you know, just trying to connect with, you know, the older players and then trying to be used to like giving classes basketball, I just, I didn’t know how they feel personally because I kind of went through that.
8:37
So like, do you have like a certain like, already, I should question kind of, but you don’t have like a certain work schedule, like you plan your schedule. Or you have a calendar, basically what I’m trying to say yeah, so I have a overview calendar. So like, main dates, like in my wall to just look ahead to for practices and stuff. And then I also have a planner until like, what specific stuff I need to get done that day.
9:05
Just so like I stay on top of it. Because with it, like everything being online. And sometimes teachers are like, you don’t have to attend a class, you can just watch the video later. It’s easy to get off track. And so I really have to stay on top of myself. A lot. Yeah. So all your classes are online, or there’s none in person. Well, there are some in person. So the way it works is, um, so my online, I have two long online classes that I’m like are already so they’re just strictly online. And then some some of your classes that are in person classes. They’re either hybrid remote, or both. And so like hybrid is like, say my classes Tuesday Thursday. I would go into class on Thursday, but Tuesday and then Thursday, I would be on zoom while he’s teaching other people in class.
9:59
And then strictly remote is just everything is going to be on zoom. Similar to like an online class, the only thing is like it’s live. So you’re with a teacher. And like, you don’t get to choose the timeframe.
10:14
Right? Yeah, I definitely know that feels about like, how does like, I don’t know, how does it like How’s it feel being on campus versus last year with without COVID and this year with COVID? Yeah, the campus is definitely dead is like limited people. And like, I know some people that live in the dorms, like they can’t even have visitors or anything. And so it’s kind of it’s kind of strict, non like, check because we are attached to my medical school. So everything does have to kind of fall in line with that their guidelines. And so it’s kind of been strict. It’s kind of hard to like, do activities, because I know homecoming is this week for us. And yeah, it’s kind of it’s kind of tough, because I haven’t heard about any homecoming stuff. And it’s when it’s about to be Wednesday.
11:09
I am more like a party score do or not?
11:15
Um, really, you kind of have to kind of have to search it out if you are a party person.
11:23
Know to hang around. If that’s Bob.
11:28
Yeah. Yeah. So you mentioned that you’re a biology major again. So do you plan to go like the med school after like to, like, get your grad degree or anything? Yeah. I thought, well, I have to go to medical school before you make me think about these years.
11:46
I know you’re gonna be in school for like, 10 plus years. So you know what this means to an end? You know?
11:53
That’s gotta stick it out.
11:56
How do you think being an athlete? How do you think that’s going to, like prepare you for like, the outside world?
12:02
Okay, yeah, I could just talk about this a lot. Because he says, I’m already I work with what we do in the classroom carries over to the court. And what we do on the court carries over to the classroom. So for turning assignments late, and not paying attention to details, then it’s going to carry over to the court. And it’s very true, because sometimes, what today, we weren’t talking as much and he’s like, he got to pay attention to little things. And it got so redundant that we had to run for it. So it does definitely carry over and like the mentality of you have to hustle and you have to like grind it out is going to carry over into the work life does.
12:43
Very interesting. I know that’s how a lot athletes see it now. So do you see like versus could you see yourself as like a regular student on campus or?
12:55
No, I can see myself as a regular student sometimes when we have these early practices, and when it’s 20 hour weeks, kicky I do wish I wasn’t on the sideline, but you know, it’s worth it. You know, you get to see what goes into it. And once you like, on game day, it’s really worth all the hard work.
13:15
Yes, I definitely would with me being an athlete. I definitely agree. I’d be sitting there thinking sometimes like dang do I, do I really want to do those conditioning days and I’m in Alabama so usually in the summer like we’re outside and no less than 100 degrees
outside me like every different and you know, that’s where you really really know if you want to stick it out.
13:46
No for real, for real . Well, sorry. I really appreciate you for being on my podcast. I really got a lot of information on you and you just telling me about being different from not like being an athlete here but you gave me a different perspective of being at another college but she being like, you’re like 9/10 hours away from here. And it’s what she would to be an Alabama’s I know that. When do you want every perspective? Anyone? I love that.
14:19
Alright you guys this is Diamond with Life Of A Student Athlete (Covid Edition).
Tune into next week I will be interviewing a Bridgewater football player–we are going to see how Bridgewater football does it around here.
All right. Thank you summer.
