As Bradley winds down to it’s last few weeks to the 2019 spring semester, many of the women’s basketball players will be saying goodbye to their alma mater. There are also many student-athletes who will be returning with increased roles to fill the gaps left by the leaving players.
With the semester coming to an end, many of the athletes will not have much time to go home and relax before they have to come back to Bradley for summer training camp. This is a time where the players are able to work together to create more team chemistry and become better players.
In the short time that the athletes do have to go home, this is a time for them to reconnect with their families, and unwind from the stresses attending college puts on someone. From having to juggle playing a division one sport to being a regular student attending classes every day, the life of a student athlete is tough, so their time off is very important to them.
When speaking to freshman guard, Tatum Koenig, in regards to what her plans for the summer were she said “now that the season is over I plan to relax a little bit but also stay in the gym and improve my game. I plan to go to Minnesota for a week to visit my aunt and I also plan on spending time at home with my family”. In regards to her life outside of basketball, Koenig has some other things to look forward to doing over the break, she stated “I look forward to the week I will spend at Lake Vermillion in Minnesota with my aunt and her family. We’ll go hiking, fishing, boating, and kayaking”. Koenig also said that “over the break, I intend on spending time with my family, especially my grandparents. I will also volunteer at a few community events such as basketball and t-ball games. I think these plans will make me a better person because I get the chance to do things for others”. By doing this, she is able to take a break from the mental and physical toll that being a student-athlete has on someone and is just able to be back home and better herself as a person.
Although being a student-athlete is a difficult task, being the head coach of a team full of student-athletes is a whole other burden. By having to manage a player’s time in a manner that respects their work for both school and basketball, as well as developing game plans and balancing time for herself, Head Coach Andrea Gorski has a lot on her plate as well.
In regards to her plans over the break, Coach Gorski said “we have been working on individual skill development with each of the players. They are also in the muscle building segment of their strength and conditioning program”. When it comes to taking their mind off of basketball and putting less physical toll on the players over the break, Coach Gorksi said that apart from basketball “the team will take part in various cardio activities as well as yoga and pilates”. In her own time over the break, Gorski said that she looks forward to “preparing for summer camps and recruiting”. Being the head coach for a division one basketball program, it is a job that almost never ends, with constantly developing gameplans during the season and preparing for offseason activities over breaks, it’s hard for a head coach to find time for themselves. Outside of any basketball-related activities, Coach Gorski stated “I like to read and bike in the summer but we only have a few weeks off in May and then the team returns”. So as we see, the offseason is a time for some people to take a break from the sport for a few weeks and take advantage of time with their families, others are constantly working to prepare for the following season. Regardless, after the recent season the women’s team had, we know whatever they’ve been doing, it’s been working for them.
By: James Hutchinson & Brandon Younan