Working through college – playing tennis; Despite playing tennis for USU, Young says his real love is cycling
Most college students have to work temporary jobs to put themselves through school. Some work in retail, some wait tables, some even work in their field of study. Dantley Young, on the other hand, plays tennis.
He’s the No. 4 singles player for USU’s men’s tennis team, but the way he talks about it, tennis is just a job he does to pay for school. His real passion is cycling.
“My dream is to be a professional cyclist,” Young said. “Once I finish tennis, the next two or three years of my life are going to be devoted to trying to go pro in cycling.”
Young isn’t just dreaming, either. A junior majoring in exercise science, Young keeps himself in tip-top condition during the school year (aka: the months in between races) by eating right and training on an exercise bike
three to four hours a day.
His plan appears to be already in place. According to Young, he rides at what cyclists call the “cat-3” level, short for category-3.
Young said he began this past summer at the cat-5 level. Over those next few months, Young competed in more than 40 races, including the 200-mile “Lotoja”(Logan-to-Jackson) and improved to his current level of cat-3. He plans to move up to cat-2 by July.
“That’s the goal,” Young said. “Once you get to a cat-2, you’re racing with the big boys. You learn from them, you get that experience and hopefully somebody will recognize that you have potential and sign you to a pro contract.”
While it’s hard for many college students to stay physically active during the school year, Young’s daily routine doesn’t allow for much sitting around. It usually consists of going to classes in the morning, training on the bike, going to tennis practice and studying for Andy Anderson’s anatomy class, among others, he said.
It’s a mentally and physically draining regimen that he tackles everyday with what he calls “the drive.”
“For me, it’s the drive,” Young said. “Trying to accomplish something little every day kinda snowballs and you get to those bigger objectives.”
While his physique and mannerisms are those of a man driven to succeed, Young says his life is all about what he calls “finding tranquilo.”
“Never too high, never too low,” Young says. “It’s just the feeling of being content. That’s how I feel every time I get off the bike.”
Though he’s more likely to win the Tour de France than Wimbledon, Young is a talented tennis player, too. His strength on the court comes not so much from an explosive game, but from his physical and mental fitness, which he attributes to cycling.
“Being a cyclist has taught me to compete well on the tennis court,” said Young. “Fitness just gives you so much more confidence and helps you stay in there a little bit more.”
Evidence of Young’s ability to persevere on the court can be found in this season’s singles match scores. In 10 singles matches, Young has a 6-4 record. Five of those 10 matches have gone to three sets with Young winning four.
“When you step out there, everybody wants to win,” Young says. “The one thing I have that people don’t is the willingness to stay out there and do whatever it takes to win.”
Aside from athletics, Young also logs hours of studying every day for a class schedule that even he doesn’t hesitate to call a full load. However, he quickly admits that the exercise science degree he’s going for will do little more than appease his parents.
“I’m not really planning on using my degree,” Young said. “I’m mainly getting it to get my parents off my back.”
But, not to be misunderstood, Young is also quick to give all the credit for his life’s accomplishments to his parents.
“My life is all because of my parents,” he said. “Without them, none of what I have achieved would be possible. If it weren’t for them, I’d be in the middle of nowhere.”
-jhislop@cc.usu.edu