Built by athletics

The Central Michigan volleyball player was never "injury-prone" prior to college. But Bueter said heavy weight-lifting and intense practices have caused numerous health problems. She has suffered from back pain, shoulder pain and even a concussion bad enough to eliminate her memory of an entire game.

Volleyball has and always will be Bueter's first love — but today, playing the sport comes with a cost.

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"A lot of people underestimate what (student athletes) go through," Bueter said. "That (balance) with school and practice is every day for us. I'm getting older and it's taking a toll on me and my body."

Regardless, she plays every rotation in every game for the volleyball team with a positive attitude and high energy on and off the court. 

Bueter's teammates look to her for guidance during every victory and challenge they face.

"(Volleyball) is in my heart," Bueter said. "My teammates are my rocks and taking the leadership role (comes naturally) for me. I have a really loud voice so I’m naturally assertive. I like having to take that role."

Bueter's voice is always the one that echoes the loudest through McGuirk Arena at games and you can find her laughing and dancing to the music in the weight room during intense workouts. She has found a way to successfully manage her time on and off the court.

Of the 480 student athletes at Central Michigan University this year, 176 were given full-ride scholarships and 149 have partial scholarships. Another 155 student athletes receive zero financial support from the university, but still suit up in maroon and gold for competition.

For Bueter, being a student athlete means being mentally tough.

Through teamwork, dedication and time management, the Southbend, Indiana senior credits her athletic career to building her into the strong-willed athlete, sister, teammate and student she is today.

"I know there are other things that can build people outside of athletics," she said. "But (I) get the teamwork, time management (skills) and that mental strength of being in a work environment and adapting to change."

Maintaining balance

While balancing being the athletic chair for St. Jude Up 'til Dawn, morning classes, afternoon volleyball practice and four hours of study tables a week, Bueter maintains a 3.17 grade point average and led the Central Michigan volleyball team with 367 kills last season, and the Mid-American Conference in service aces (53).

Depending on each coaches' expectations for their team, every student athlete at CMU must log a certain amount of study hours — known by athletes as "study table."

Every freshman and selected student athletes are required to accomplish up to six to eight hours of study table each week in the fall. Required hours vary in the spring depending on the athlete's academic performance during their first semester at CMU.

Head volleyball coach Mike Gawlik varies the required amount of study table hours for his team depending on their individual GPAs. If a volleyball player has a 3.5 or higher, she isn't required to log any hours.

"You can test out of hours once you prove you can be completely in control of (finding time to study)," Gawlik said. "Additional (study table) hours are not meant to be a punishment. It's something to help keep them accountable, help manage their time and keep school a priority."

The only place athletes can log their study hours is in the Dick Enberg Academic Center — a small room with glass windows located in the right corner of the Indoor Athletic Complex. The limited hours of operation sometimes make it difficult for freshmen and athletes with a higher number of study table hours to access the room between class, practices and travel for road competitions.

Bueter, who has four hours to complete each week this semester, said she doesn't always find the study hall space useful. Before she logs her hours, she always makes a list of things she needs to get done for classes.

"Having a to-do list is important going in there because you can get side tracked so easily," she said. "You’d think four hours (a week) would be easy, but (the Dick Enberg Center) gets pretty chatty. I like to get stuff done outside of that place."

In September 2016, Bueter added another priority to her long list of weekly commitments — St. Jude Up 'til Dawn. As the athletic chair, she promotes events to the athletic community to help raise money and spread awareness of childhood cancer.

"It takes quite a bit of time out of my days, but it’s worth it," she said.

After the DI volleyball games, conditioning, homework and classes come to end for Bueter next May, she plans to return to her home in South Bend and apply to graduate schools. For her next endeavor, she hopes to become a nurse or a physician’s assistant.

Adjusting to college athletics

Although they have the same workout schedules and both wake up early for morning classes, pitchers Cam Brown and Michael Brettell have different academic experiences.“Coming into college from high school, there is definitely an adjustment period,” Brown said. “It was mostly in the first couple weeks, just getting used to how busy the schedule is being an athlete with class and practices, plus the study tables. You have to manage your time and organize everything before the day

The Pontiac, Illinois, freshman usually has six hours of study tables to complete weekly depending on how much the baseball team travels to compete during the week on a given week during the season.

When Brown — who has yet to pick a major — looks ahead to his future, all he sees is baseball.

“After college I want to continue playing baseball and see how long I can do that,” he said. “I haven’t thought much about after that, but I like talking to people so I’m thinking about (signing) a communications major.”

Brettell also wants to play baseball after college. He hopes to get drafted next year, but has a computer science major to fall back on.

With his 3.03 GPA, the Fonthill, Ontario, sophomore was able to opt out of study table hours, but he still spends up to seven hours a week working on homework and preparing for tests.

“We take pride in having a high team GPA,” he said. “When you come to college, you don’t know how to manage your time. It’s a tough thing to do with the workload we get. The study tables have definitely helped me put in extra time to keep my grades up and keep class going strong.”

Breaking the stereotype

During the offseason, Tyrus Kemp starts his days at 4:30 a.m. He uses the quiet hours in the morning to read, drink coffee and set his goals for the day ahead.

Kemp is a broadcasting student, DI wrestler and the host, producer and director of a mini documentary series called "Broke Adventures." A $300 five-day trip to Costa Rica inspired him to use his BCA skills to teach people how to travel on a shoestring budget.

“I want to be a national champion (in wrestling),” he said. “That’s my goal for next year. On top of that, I have my goals with 'Broke Adventures' and my goals academically. It may seem crazy and far out there, but I honestly believe I can do all three.”

Outside of school, wrestling and his show, Kemp works a part-time job at Starbucks. Unlike many student athletes at CMU, he was able to opt out of study tables because of his busy schedule.

While study tables help a lot of student athletes learn to manage their time, Kemp never found them all that necessary.

“I’m usually doing homework at Starbucks before I have to go to work,” he said. “My first year, I had eight study table hours a week I had to complete and that was no different than me (studying) on my own. I’m motivated on my own so they didn’t help me personally, but I can see where they would help remind people they need to be working on something.”

Athletes at CMU play DI sports, are provided with a study space and miss a few classes during their seasons, but there is still one thing they have in common with every other student on campus — they are here to learn.Through her experiences in college, Bueter learned the importance of teamwork, dedication and mental strength.

Baseball, classes and study hours have taught Brettell and Brown how to manage their time effectively.

Like most students pursuing education, Kemp has dreams and he intends to fulfill them. They may be looked at differently than an average student, but each of them have a lot — often more in some cases — on their plates.

“In reality, we’re not special,” Kemp said. “We may struggle in different areas and our schedules may be a little tighter, but we’re students just like everyone else.”