Off Season Adventures
Shelby Flores
I absolutely love playing volleyball at W&L, but I love all of the extra opportunities I get here too. I’m so happy I chose to play volleyball at W&L because I think it gives us all opportunities on and off the court. I can still go hard in the gym or the fitness center while having the flexibility to study abroad, join clubs, etc.
This past weekend, I got to go New York City! I am from Southern California and I never got the opportunity to visit the city and I absolutely fell in love with it! Riding the subway and seeing Phantom of the Opera on Broadway were my two favorite parts of my weekend! But anyways, how does this pertain to volleyball? Well, it’s off season now and we’re lifting and conditioning five to six days a week. On Friday, Mashie and I rocked out our workout at 6:45 in the morning so I could catch my flight later that morning (but hey, if you’re not a morning person, not to worry, the fitness center is open until 10:30 at night Monday through Thursday!). Anyways, the point is, I’m able to go on tons of adventures while I’m here while still being able to stay committed to volleyball. Yay!
Here’s another little fun fact/example: I’m going to Argentina this summer! My LACS professor (Professor Barnett) told me about this amazing opportunity and I knew that I couldn’t pass it up! I will be interning with the same university (located in Mar del Plata) that Lindsey Dee (’12) worked with last summer. I will be teaching little kids English! I have been working with Lindsey and Coach to find out how to adjust my summer workout. Coach has been really supportive of my decision and I think that shows the amount of flexibility you have here at W&L, even if you are a student-athlete.
In the future, I hope to take a Spring Term Abroad trip (maybe Cadíz, Spain my junior year?) and get more involved in my sorority and other activities. Balance is extremely important to me. I feel that my coaches and professors at W&L are here to help me not only explore all the opportunities I have in the world, but also to learn new things (academically and about myself as a person). I have my sense of balance here and sometimes it’s really hard to keep that in check, but I don’t know if I could pursue all of the opportunities I’ve had at W&L at any other university.
¡Estoy muy entusiasmado para el internado en Mar del Plata, Argentina este verano!
Wish me luck!
Shelby
