Summer Update from Sara Madison

Sara Madison: Tell All

Hello Fredonia Volleyball blog readers, my name is Sara Madison and I am a sophomore biology major here at Fredonia. Like most college students, I use my summers as a chance to relax and do the things that I’ve missed while living in Fredonia. So since I’ve been home I’ve been able to see Tim McGraw live, stay up watching “Say Yes to the Dress” until 3am with my grandma, attempt to learn how to fish, watch all 4 seasons of “Ugly Betty” on Netflix, and of course spend as much time as possible with my family and friends. But am I doing anything productive with my summer or just having fun? Of course there has to be some volleyball and biology thrown in there for this student athlete.

Volleyball

      

In years past, my summers have always consisted of a mash up of summer leagues, personal training, beach tournaments, and my personal favorite, Penfield Performance Camps. I had so many

Sara (left) with friend Catherine

opportunities to play over the summer in high school and I never let one slip. So as my freshman year of college ended I had to go looking for new opportunities to play. What I found wasn’t a lower amount of opportunities but a shift in what my role was. I continue to play beach volleyball throughout the summer but now in an adult division rather than juniors. I still participate in the summer league program but as a coach instead of a player. Now that I am too old to play at camps, I have switched to using local college open gyms as my outlet for indoor play. Finally, to keep in shape I’ve graduated from having a personal trainer to leading my own workouts based on the preseason challenges and in season workouts. I am lucky enough to have my best friend and biggest fan Catherine Meek, who is as determined as I am in improving our fitness, to work out with. In this first month of summer I’ve found that my college experience at Fredonia has already helped me become more independent with my summer volleyball responsibilities.

Internship

      

Among the volleyball and other fun summer activities I also spend my Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Youngstown Yacht Club. This may seem like a glamorous way to spend my summer, but what I actually do is far from it. The boat I spend most of my time on isn’t a yacht but rather a metal        

electrofishing boat. I participate in the National Fish and Wildlife Services Native Species internship program which is located on the Niagara River, and don’t worry we’re far from the falls. The main focus of the program I am apart of is to capture lake sturgeon, a native species of fish, and collect samples or attach trackers to help better understand where they are, their age, and how their diet differs at certain ages. I’m lucky to be a part of an internship program that is so hands on and after working in the program for only three days I’ve already learned so much. I’ve done everything from setting fishing lines and baiting hooks to making fish anesthetic and taking blood samples. I’ve also had the opportunity to observe fish surgeries and become certified in electrofishing. Now I may be biased because I’m a biology major but I would spend my summer on a metal electrofishing boat around a live pool full of lake sturgeon over sun bathing on a fancy yacht any day.