The Life Of A Student Athlete
Kevin Gear has his eyes on the prize. The Penn State senior plans to get a degree in landscape contracting. With his 7 a.m. lifts and conditioning every other day, Gear cannot afford to have the “normal” student lifestyle due to time constraints.
Kevin Gear works on homework in the West Halls computer lab at University Park. Photo by Jalen PenroseEach day he has to factor in the normal routine for athletes such as meeting with coaches, academic advisors, tutors and training. Then he also has a full time academic schedule.
Aside from school, Gear said he hopes to play professional volleyball overseas. He plays middle for the Nittany Lions volleyball team. He said his coaches have told him that the middle position is more important in the professional game, and at 6-foot--8 he has the size and agility to play at the next level.
He said that being a student athlete has helped to teach him how to manage his time better, much more than when he arrived at Penn State. From this it has opened up many doors.
Photo gallery: All work and play
Fellow teammates agreed that Gear works extremely hard to balance out his focal points of being a student-athlete at Penn State. They said his dedication rubs of onto others and makes them want to work as hard too. Among his teammates he has a reputation for being a very quiet person, he lets his work ethic speak and keeps his head low thus why a lot of the guys respect him.
