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Kersta Carlson
Miami RedHawks football player Alex Kaufman runs through drills on Tuesday afternoon, July 7, at Yager Stadium. Contributed Photo by Kersta Carlson
Kersta Carlson
Women's field hockey player Katie Brightwell lifts as part of the team training schedule over the summer at the Gross Center on the Miami campus. Contributed Photo by Kersta Carlson
Miami athletes find life different during summer
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By Kersta Carlson,
Contributing Writer
11:21 AM Thursday, July 9, 2009
Whether at The Goggin, The Gross Center, Yager Stadium, the track, the soccer fields, the Nixon Aquatic Center, the field hockey field or the hill going down to Yager, the athletic complexes at Miami are far from empty this summer.
Some athletes stay to only train, some stay to take classes and train, some stay to work and train and some stay to work, take classes and train but all are united under the common goal of training.
Sara Lundh, a junior women’s soccer player, is spending her first summer in Oxford taking a class and training for the upcoming season.
“I am taking a nutrition class required for my major,” she said. “I wanted to get a hard class out of the way so come fall, I could focus on other classes and soccer.”
“Plus, I love the fact that Oxford is not as crowded in the summer,” she said.
After her six-week stint with summer classes, Lundh will be returning home for the rest of the summer.
“I am going home to the motherland: Sweden,” she said. “I’ll get to spend some time at home before returning in the beginning of August for preseason.”
Ashley Korn, a senior synchronized skater, has a completely different story.
“Being from Oxford,” she said, “I really have no other place to go during the summer. And why not stay? It’s easier to train and I’ll be caught up on classes.”
As a double-major in journalism and speech communication with a minor in family studies, a student-athlete, a coach and an intern with the Butler County Chemical Abuse and Crisis Council, Korn has more than a full-plate this summer.
“I look forward to being busy,” she said. “Especially for coaching the US Figure Skating Training Ice Festival in Delaware. And I love my internship so far.”
And as for training?
“My body hurts,” she said. “But it’s nice to have to report to someone and have the strength coaches watching over you when you’re working out. Otherwise, I might not be where I am strength-wise and it has definitely helped my skating.”
Fellow member of the ice Gary Steffes, senior at Miami and member of the Miami hockey team, is also staying this summer.
This is Steffes’ third summer in Oxford, but first full summer. He is conducting a research project with the Kinesiology department.
“A typical day is waking up around 6 a.m., starting research project work at about 7 a.m. until 12 p.m. on testing days. Weights from 1 to 3. Then free time which varies day by day.”
While Steffes was looking forward to getting into the best shape possible for the upcoming hockey season and growing his relationships here in Oxford, there are a few relationships he will be missing.
“I was dreading not spending much time with my family. I miss my family. I wish I could spend more time with them, but they have been very supportive of my decision to stay here this summer. I am very grateful for that.”
Swimmer John Eick is also staying the summer, however like Lundh, he is new to staying in Oxford for these hot months.
“I chose to stay because I thought I could get in better training sessions with my teammates than my high school team back home.”
While Eick is not taking any classes, he is working in an ecology lab.
“I work with one of my professors and a grad student on lake sediment and water nutrient composition for about 35 hours a week on a Research Experience for Undergraduates grant.”
“I was dreading that there would be absolutely nothing to do here with everybody gone,” he said, “but as it turns out I’m too busy to worry about that anyway.”
Athletic Director Brad Bates is excited about the students here over the summer.
“All are doing wonderful, and in most cases, completely different things,” he said. “It’s amazing to see our student-athletes working in their various areas outside of athletics while all being here for the summer to train as well.”
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9:22 PM, 7/11/2010
10:02 PM, 6/11/2010