Off the court with tennis player Alex Thatcher
A local product out of Mountain Crest High School, senior Alex Thatcher is back on the tennis courts for USU this season, a year after being academic all-WAC. The Statesman caught up with Alex recently, getting the scoop on a number of topics from how he got into tennis to what his favorite cereal.
How long have you been playing tennis? How did you start?
My older siblings played and got me into it. I started when I was about 10.
What is the most challenging aspect of being a student-athlete?
Balancing academics and athletics in a way that you don’t get exhausted or burnt out.
What is your favorite conference travel destination?
Probably Tulsa, Okla. – where we went last week. It was a really competitive tournament with a lot of good teams from all over the country.
What is your practice routine like?
We run and stretch for five minutes, then warm up our shots – ground strokes and volleys and serves – for about 20 minutes. Then we’ll do drills and point-play for about an hour and a half.
What was your favorite childhood cartoon and why?
I didn’t watch many cartoons, does that count as an answer? My favorite TV show is the Andy Griffin show.
What is the best dollar menu fast food item and why?
The Spicy Chicken at Carl’s Jr. because it’s big and it’s good.
What is the best sugary kids cereal?
Probably Lucky Charms because it has a good texture with the marshmallows.
What is your favorite class at USU and why?
“Mental Aspects of Sports”, because it teaches life lessons. The teacher (profesor Rich Gordon) is really cool and really good.
–adamnettina@gmail.com