A Day in the Life of an SMC Student-Athlete with Tinsley Blackwell

My name is Tinsley Blackwell and I am a freshman here at SMC. I am from Inman, South Carolina where I graduated from Chapman High School. Being on the women's volleyball team here at school guarantees a very busy schedule. During preseason, the days seem to be very long with the first alarm being set for 7:45am; today I left for breakfast at 8:15am. Although there were a couple of different breakfast options, I decided to stick to a bowl of fruit so that I would not be too full for practice at 9:00 am. Today we had a very beneficial, fun, and intense practice. We worked very hard on plays we will use, and we also ran a couple of drills that forced us to communicate together on the court. Our practice ended at 12:00pm, so we had time to go grab lunch in the cafe and be back in the pioneer room by 1:00pm for an important presentation. Sarah, one of our athletic trainers, poured knowledge into us afterward to make sure we fully understood the lesson on staying safe and healthy in all aspects of our lives. Coach Katie does her best to make sure we are growing in life, as well as the sport of volleyball. When the team was released from the pioneer room, I came back to my room for about an hour to rest and get ready before we headed to the Greenville Children's Hospital, where unexpectedly we would grow as individuals. At the hospital, we had the opportunity to go around and visit the patients. I never realized how much younger kids looked up to college athletes until this moment, it was a blessing to be able to put a smile on their faces. Don't let today's schedule fool you! This is the first day we haven't had two practices, and a workout as well! I truly feel myself growing as an athlete, an individual, and a role model; thanks to the staff at SMC, and of course my teammates.