It’s the most wonderful time of the year for some of Ferris State’s winter sport athletes as they get a chance to go home to their families.
Another year of extremely dominant fall sports are coming to a close in Big Rapids with women’s and men’s basketball as well as hockey hoping to keep the Bulldog athletics momentum rolling.
The great ones don’t take days off, and sophomore forward for Bulldog hockey Corey Mackin looks forward to staying active over break.
“As an athlete mid-season, you really try to stay focused as much as possible,” Mackin said. “I bring my equipment home with me and try to skate at least twice during the ten days. You don’t want to lose strength, so as a team we have to workout three times while we’re home and one cardio workout.”
Hockey has finally been able to string some good wins together recently after a rough start to the season, and Mackin would like to keep that momentum going.
Transitioning to the hardwood, junior forward Rachel McInerney of the women’s basketball team talked about how nice it is to get a short break.
“I think the break is very refreshing,” McInerney said. “We don’t have to worry about classes and can put all of our focus on basketball and each other. The seven days at home is also a great break and we come back refreshed and ready to get back to work.”
McInerney leads her team with 14.3 points per game so far this year.
“It’s crunch time for school right now which can be really stressful,” McInerney said. “So I know the upcoming break is what a lot of us are looking forward to.”
With Head Coach Andy Bronkema’s men’s basketball program looking for another GLIAC Tourney Title, senior wing Quentin Ruff talked about the obvious excitement for break but emphasized being ready upon return.
“Coach will do a great job of getting us back in shape the first couple days back,” Ruff said. “I’m also pretty confident in my teammates on staying in that mindset, maybe just remind them before break to stay hungry.”
It’s been especially important for Ruff and the rest of the Bulldogs to remain focused since conference play began.
“It’s very important to stay in the zone, especially because we are in GLIAC play,” Ruff added. “Every game from here on out is very important, especially because we want to win the regular season and host the regional.”
It’s evident that all of these winter programs have goals of performing to the highest of their abilities, whether they’re at home with their families or on campus training for their next game.