By Taylor James, Cornerstone Editor
A Freshman from Perryville, Bridig Sauer came to East Central College on a Volleyball Scholarship because of her extra-curricular prowess back in high school.
She attended St. Vincent High School, a private Roman Catholic high school where she played Volleyball, did track and field, was in color guard and played in her band.
“I played Volleyball for a long time, but I also did track,” said Sauer. “I did hurdles, long jump, triple jump and the four by one.”
The four by one hundred meter relay is a race where four athletes run 100 meters and pass the baton to each other after their leg.
“I made it to sectionals in a couple different track events,” said Sauer.
Sectionals in Missouri are the event before state championships, sectional athletes have to meet a certain criteria to make it to state.
St. Vincent was Class 2 for girls track and Sauer made it to sectionals in the triple jump and hurdles.
She also went to state for cheerleading twice and went to state for Volleyball once.
“It was the first time our Volleyball went to state in over a decade,” said Sauer. “I think I got all conference and all district for Volleyball.”
She earned All-Regional Region 16 recognition from ECC for her first season as a Volleyball athlete.
Region 16 is the district where ECC competes within the National Junior College Athletic Association and ECC is Division II for all sports.
She went to sectionals in track during her senior year and during her sophomore year and junior year of cheer her team went to state.
She did Track, Band, Volleyball and Cheer for all four years of high school.
“I did competition and color guard,” said Sauer about her band experience.
She played the French Horn as part of her high school band.
“I did compete my Senior year for Trio, a trio ensemble,” said Sauer.
During the fall of her high school Senior year she would cheer practice after school and then would go to Volleyball practice everyday.
“I’d go home to eat and then do a bunch of homework,” said Sauer about her fall season life.
She would after eating go to a Football game to cheer or go play in a Volleyball game.
There was also a lot of traveling during the week for games, whether it was for Volleyball or for Cheerleading.
The winter was for cheerleading during the basketball season, so there was still a good bit of travel. She also practiced routines during the winter season.
Her school did not use their own track for practices.
“We had to go to a different school to use their track because our school was too broke to afford one,” said Sauer.
In the Fall she would also have color guard practice.
Those activities were not stressful for her.
“I had been doing all of those activities since elementary school, so I was kinda used to it,” said Sauer. “I also have ADHD, so filling my schedule gave me some purpose.”
She liked being busy during the school year because she said that she had a lot of friends.
Now that she is at ECC, she feels a little stressed out because she is living on her own and paying for her bills.
It is hard for her to keep track of assignments because of her Volleyball schedule.
Being a student athlete according to Sauer is hard because of keeping track of time management and academics.
“I think I’m a little more stressed now because I’m living on my own and paying for my own bills,” said Sauer.
From August until November she did not have a single weekend for time to herself because of her grueling Volleyball schedule.
She is thinking about going to Cosmetology school after ECC to become a beautician.
ECC Cornerstone 