Jessica Pellegrino – General Assignment Reporter
As if being a full-time student was not hard enough, Kristin Post, a junior, spends her life as a student on the Track and Field team. Being a student-athlete is a feat in itself, but Post does much more than that on a daily basis.
“Well, I am a full-time student and a full-time athlete. I am on Southern’s Track and Field team. I eat, a lot. So, I’m usually in the Student Center. I also hold study hall hours for athletes.” said Post.
Even though she is on the Track and Field team, Post does not just run. Her event is the javelin.
“Yeah, I don’t run competitively. I throw the javelin. When I was a freshman in high school, I quit playing softball and I needed to pick up a new sport,” said Post. “So, I chose Track and Field. Turns out I am pretty good at it. Since high school, I have improved so much. I can throw twelve feet farther now. That might not seem like a lot, but trust me, it is.”Post is a newly declared Sports Management major, after much indecisiveness about her major.
“I have nothing figured out yet [laughs]. But, I finally picked a major I like, so we are getting somewhere I suppose,” she said. “I am just trying to make sure I pick the right path for me. In this day in age, you could graduate with a major that you do not even end up using. So, I am keeping my options open at this point.”
Despite this however, Post does have some ideas about her dream careers and what she wants to do with her life. Post plans to find a career path involving children and possibly athletics, hence the Sports Management major.
“My ultimate dream career would be a professional Netflix watcher. I would just watch Netflix all day and get paid for it. But, unfortunately that is not a real job. But, really, I love working with kids. And I love sports obviously. So, I would love to be a coach. It does not matter what sport I am coaching. I just want to be a coach. Sports are so important to me.” said Post.
Post believes that sports are crucial for children, especially in this day in age, the era of technology.
“Growing up, I always played sports,” said Post. “I think sports are important for a couple reasons. First, I mean the most obvious reason, is that it is exercise. Kids definitely do not exercise enough. Not anymore at least. Kids nowadays have their faces stuck behind cell phones and they do not move anymore. Teams are so important for this reason. Technology kills kids social skills. Sports teach them how to be on a team. It teaches kids to be outside, to be present. They just need to move and be in the morning.”
Post recalled always being outside as a kid, constantly moving and playing sports. She believes children these days are too attached to technology like video games and cell phones and do not spend enough time socializing with other children and learning how to be in teamwork settings.
Photo Credit: Jessica Pellegrino – General Assignment Reporter