Athletics

Transcript

Next, we’re heading over to meet Ethan Vlchek, a six foot, four, 295 pound offensive lineman and captain of the football team, who’s gonna tell us what Fort Lewis Athletics is all about. Ethan, you’re on.

What’s up, everyone. I’m here to tell you all about Fort Lewis Athletics and what we’re all about here. Now, what I’m about to say, a lot of other athletes have said before, but here it is a fact. Every single athlete here that plays at Fort Lewis College knows that there’s something special going on here. From the beautiful scenery at practice to the preparation before game day, to every single person in those stands watching us compete day in and day out and I can guarantee you, there is nothing better than when it’s crunch time and it’s all on the line.

Fourth and one on the goal, tied matching volleyball on the last set and those cyclists and runners going through the end, there is no better feeling than putting the team on our back and coming in clutch. For those of you that are curious about all the little details, Fort Lewis College is a Division II school in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference or the RMAC for short. We play teams all over the Midwest, Adams State university, Chadron State, Colorado School of Mines and New Mexico Highlands just to name a few. The only team that operates a little bit outside the RMAC is our cycling team. They compete in the USA Division I program and they have a ton of championships to boot ’cause we’re that good.

Now, in the day to day, I’ma be real with you. It gets pretty tough being a student athlete here. The way it was put to me was growing up, you now have two jobs. You are a full-time student and a full-time athlete and you gotta find a way to make it work. And they weren’t kidding about that either. So, a lot of these people come in thinking they’re gonna be great and amazing. And then, they get hit by a truck the first time that they go through with it. But if you’re like me, it’s a blessing in disguise. A lot of us figure out who we are as a person, what we wanna do and what we can figure out in the classroom as well.

Now, when I first came home from my first semester of being a football player, my folks didn’t even recognize me. When I left, I’d struggled with my weight, my time management and I could barely communicate in severe fashion to anybody. But then when I came back, I figured it all out. I dropped 20 pounds, I was able to manage my time properly and I was able to say what I really thought to my parents. It was kinda funny ’cause they looked at me and they just went, “Where’s Ethan and what did you do with him?” I know what some of you guys are thinking, this is great and all, but I’m not a student athlete. This next little bit is just for you.

There are tons of things that you can do to help support your student athletes, such as going to the games, get fired up for those rallies. Every single athlete loves having you. We all want you to be there every single time we compete. And I’m gonna be honest, in the stands, it is an absolute blast. Every chance I get, I go to a basketball game, a volleyball game or another type of athletic event and it is no doubt some of the most fun I’ve had in college. There’s always gonna be something to do from an athletic standpoint so you can always support your Skyhawks. And that’s Fort Lewis Athletics in a nutshell. Go Skyhawks, talons up. Back to you, Alex.

Ethan, your energy and excitement for athletics at the Fort here is contagious. Great job. I wanna go back to college and play sports right here. That was awesome, thanks again.