A Day in the Life

In this interview, Jackson Campbell, a varsity volleyball player will give us an overview of the daily routine of a varsity athlete. Also, Jordan Sexauer, a sophomore on JV1, will tell us his story of his daily routine as a volleyball player. Jordan plays mostly JV1, but he also plays varsity sometimes.

Jackson Campbell, a junior, has only played volleyball for two years but is still a top player at HSE. He wakes up at 5:30 am to prepare and complete his first workout of the day. In the gym, Jackson works on core training, cardio, and plyometrics to increase his vertical. After his workout, Jackson eats four eggs and a protein bar for his first meal of the day. He then continues his day at school. In school, Jackson takes a weight class where he does multiple activities to help with volleyball. Usually, he does squat jumps with dumbbells to increase his vertical jump. When Jackson gets home, he stretches to prepare for practice later that night. Jackson studies before his practice for tests and finishes homework after practices. “Practices are tough on your body, both mentally and physically, but I still enjoy the aspect of practicing with and as a team.” During practice, the team will go into serving and receiving lines and begin skill work by practicing passing and setting techniques. To wrap up, they scrimmage and go through their rotations. These practices are for two and a half hours, five days a week, and are critical to improving his abilities. After practice, Jackson returns home, typically eats two chicken sandwiches, and goes to his room to relax and prepare for the upcoming day.

Jordan Sexauer, a JV1 volleyball player, has been playing volleyball for two years. Jordan wakes up at 6:40am and begins his day by showering. Jordan then cooks eggs and bacon for breakfast to make sure he gets the needed protein. After breakfast he works on a bit of homework and heads to school. After school, Jordan will go to the gym and work out. He focuses on plyometric workouts and endurance training to help increase his vertical. Jordan also does squat and calf raises to help with the explosiveness and power of his jumps. After the workout, he will consume a protein shake mixed with creatine. The creatine will help with the workout by keeping Jordan energized. Then, he has a peanut butter sandwich as a snack. Jordan will work on some more of his homework before he heads to volleyball practice. At practice, the team will start with stretching and begin warmups. Next, they will practice ball handling, serving, and receiving. Next, they complete hitting and blocking drills. Lastly, they will scrimmage and work on their rotations. After practice, Jordan will go somewhere to eat and get two chicken sandwiches or burgers. Jordan also drinks plenty of water and chocolate milk. Finally, Jordan will relax whilst doing homework.

Jackson Campbell Follow-up Questions

Colin: What do you think the key to succeeding in volleyball is?

Jackson: The key to succeeding in volleyball is dedication and repetition of your position and ability in the sport overall.

Colin: What do you think sets volleyball apart from other sports?

Jackson: I think that volleyball is set apart from other sports because of how technical it is. It is not just a sport you play in PE, it is year-round, and you need lots of training to be a consistent volleyball player.

Jordan Sexauer follow up questions:

Colin: What do you think the key to succeeding in volleyball is?

Jordan: Volleyball pertains of consistency and dedication towards the sport.

Colin: What do you think sets volleyball apart from other sports?

Jordan: What sets volleyball apart from a lot of sports is the team needs to have a lot more chemistry and instant communication. Now, I have played a lot of sports before like basketball, baseball, and football, but volleyball you and your teammates must have a lot of chemistry and trust for one another.