Friday, April 12, 2019

Part of a regular series.

Throughout the year, GNACsports.com uses this space to profile conference student-athletes who are members of their respective institutions' Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). In addition to providing feedback on the student-athlete experience, conference and institutional SAAC members also offer input on the rules, regulations and policies that affect student-athletes' lives on NCAA member institution campuses. Click here for more information on the function of SAAC at the NCAA level.

Name: Nathan Taylor
Sport: Rifle
School: University of Alaska Fairbanks
Year: Senior
Major: Biological Sciences (Physiology emphasis)
Hometown: Coleman, Texas

Extra Curricular Activities: SAAC, Student Union Board and research project on walruses.

Why Did You Choose To Attend Alaska: I chose to attend UAF because the team had a reputation for being really good and having a unique team dynamic.  I knew it was a team that I wanted to be a part of.  After coming to UAF, however, I realized that it’s not just the rifle team that is like a family but it’s the department as a whole. For me, this is what makes UAF athletics really great.  Everyone knows everyone and we all support each other in whatever we do.

What Is Your Favorite Class You Have Taken In College And Why: My favorite class was human anatomy and physiology. This is because it was very interesting and the professor related everything back to the medical field and diseases. I also took it in the summer, so being able to go fishing after class which was a huge plus.

Who Is Your Favorite Professor You've Had In College And What Did You Enjoy About Learning From Him Or Her: Robert Coker. He made learning about exercise physiology a lot of fun. I also enjoyed the in-lecture labs that he did since there was no lab scheduled for the class. This allowed us to practice/see what we had been learning which made it that much easier for the test.

Years Involved In SAAC: Three.

The Reason You Chose To Get Involved In SAAC: I got involved in SAAC because I wanted to be more involved in the department and SAAC was a good avenue to do this.

Most Memorable SAAC Activity: The most memorable SAAC activity would be the athletic banquet and Nanook Olympic weekend. I got to be the master of ceremonies for the banquet and for Nanook Olympics the next day. This was our first large banquet in a couple of years so being able to help plan and then be the master of ceremonies for the banquet was truly a great experience. Then there was Nanook Olympics which is always a blast, but I had a lot of fun running the event because I got to see how much fun everyone had.

What Is The Most Important Thing You’ve Learned From Balancing The Demands Of Athletics And Academics:  A day planner is your friend. I do not think I could've made it through the last four years without some sort of planner that told me where to be when.

Future Goals: I plan to attend graduate school at UAF. I don't know what I want to go for yet though, either exercise physiology or marine mammals.

Biggest Obstacle Overcome During Collegiate Career:   Balancing all my obligations with school, athletics, job, internship and SAAC is by far my biggest obstacle that I had to overcome. It all comes down to how effectively you manage your time and how involved you want to be.

Best Advice You Would Give To An Incoming Freshman:  Don't take a single second for granted, because it's going to be over way sooner than you think.  Don't pass up a chance to hang out with your team or other athletes because you only have, at most, four years with these people and you should take every opportunity to make memories that you can.

If You Could Spend The Day With One Person (Past Or Present), Who Would It Be (And Why):  Lones Wigger, an Olympic shooter. I would love to sit down with him and pick his brain about shooting and how he got to where he was.

Most Memorable Sports-Related Moment: Competing in the Patriot Rifle Conference Championship this last February. We were able to shoot the match in the gym which was a once in a life time experience on its own, but it made it 10 times better that it was my last match. I also got to compete with people I grew up competing with back home in Texas, like we started this ride of being college athletes together and we got to end it together.

One Thing That People Don't Know About Me: My whole family are competitive shooters and my younger sister shoots for Ole Miss.