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A Major League Intern

Nate Curry, a 2019 senior, may seem like your average student athlete, but last summer he had a major experience with Major League Soccer (MLS) at its National Sales Center. Located in Blaine, Minn., Nate spent the summer as an intern supporting the current crop of post-graduates who were going through the sales training program themselves.

An internship at Grove City can be used for class credit if it meets the criteria set forth by each academic department. A few of these requirements may include regular contact with your faculty advisor, logging your hours worked, and a paper to reflect on your time as an intern. Depending on the number of hours of work an intern does, they can receive an upwards of six hours of class credit. A student’s faculty advisor for their internship will be a professor who has had firsthand experience in that type of work. This has proven to benefit our students because they can go into their internships knowing what they can expect, as well as being aware of what challenges they may be faced with.

I sat down with Nate and his faculty advisor, Dr. Scott Powell, to discuss what Nate’s experience at the National Sales Center was like. Dr. Powell also gave us some insight on the advantages of doing an internship for academic credit, as well as why Grove City encourages all of their students to take advantage of those benefits.

Dr. Powell and Nate went more in depth on Nate’s internship, the importance of an academically verified internship, and what it looks like to be a Christian in a secular work environment. If you are interested in learning more about these topics, you can view our full interview here: https://youtu.be/_RBSy-zZfAo

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Inside Look: Soccer Team Bus Rides

“I’ve never been to Florida, and I’ve been to Portugal.”

You can then hear confused laughter for the next 45 seconds.

These and countless other memories seem strange to the regular college student. However, as an athlete, those memories are the foundation in which team chemistry is molded.

All while on an away team bus trip.

You can go through a preseason together, which consists of two-a-day practices, three team meals, and countless other team activities, and that creates a unique bond with each team. However, it is the away team bus trips that solidify those relationships that last further than each year’s team.

So what is it like, being on a varsity team bus on the way to a game? Here are five inside scoops, using the men’s soccer team as an example.

Team Movies

The audio visual coordinator is one of the crucial roles on the team: responsible for picking a movie to watch on especially long bus rides. His choice is to the approval or dismay of the seniors and rest of the team.

Two Truths and a Lie

A men’s soccer staple at Grove City. During one of the first trips players fill out an index card with two truths and one lie. The rest of the team is attempting to determine (obviously) which statement is a lie. Followed by this is usually stories to accompany the bold claims made.

Euchre

 

The infamous card game also makes its way onto the list. Typically coach Dreves and his assistant will team up to duel any soccer guy duo towards the front of the bus, as a way to destress before focusing on the game. Have many been successful against coach? Many have tried, and few have succeeded.

 

 

Sleep

This one is more obvious, but of course athletes need their pregame rest and relaxation before the game. Whether with pillows or sprawling out onto multiple seats, each player has a unique way of getting that last bit of energy charged up. But, with that comes…

Shenanigans

Pranks while others are sleeping, tripping teammates on their way down the aisle, and various Snapchat “snipes” (when someone takes video of a teammate dancing to music, for example). You can expect there to be some fun memories made from messing with other teammates, all in good spirit and good fun, never any form of hazing. These in particular stay with the player as a memory, myself included, as I have recalled several instances of guys messing around and enjoying a good laugh on the bus.

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All in all, athletes have their unique pregame routines. They would be remiss though if they said they had no fun whatsoever with their team on the ride to their match, and that it has stuck with them more so than even in-game memories.