Inside HOKIE SPORTS | Vol. 10 No. 5 | May 2018

inside.hokiesports.com 33 Proud Supporter of Virginia Tech Athletics 99 Bradley Drive Christiansburg NRV Mall 540-381-8100 www.holidayinn.com/cburgnorth Full Service Restaurant Bar & Grill Game Day Catering, Dine in or Room Service Looking for a “HOKIE HOME” away from HOME? taking biochemistry classes and a major change thus left him a little behind academically, so Coward plans on getting his degree next fall when he completes his final two courses. And what about professional baseball? It obviously intrigues him, but Coward wants to shore up his “plan B.” He has been talking with a certain prospective employer about an insurance sales position, and he plans on using the fall to study for the LSAT [law school admission test], as he contemplates attending law school. It would only make sense. In addition to his other unique interests, he also once served as the captain of the debate team in high school, and he belongs to a political debate organization on campus. Regardless of which career path he chooses, this old soul with an array of intriguing interests has given himself options. Other student-athletes would do well to follow suit. GETTING TO KNOW … CONNOR COWARD Q: What would be your dream vacation, and why? CC: I would say, because my dad and I have talked about it forever, Alaska during the summer to go salmon fishing. That’s one thing I want to check off the list. If you take one of those boat tours through the Bering Sea and look at the glaciers, it’s absolutely gorgeous. Q: If you could play any other sport, it would be which one, and why? CC: Golf, 100 percent. I have such a respect for the game. I follow golf pretty closely. You just don’t understand how difficult that is. I get nervous when I have the pairing behind me watching my tee shot. I couldn’t imagine having thousands of people staring right at you, and on top of that, the shots they make. If I made one of those shots, it would make my whole round. They do that every single shot. But yeah, I would definitely be a golfer. That’s a very unique skill that I would love to have. Q: What type of music are you listening to these days? CC: I’m an old soul. I don’t listen to any new music, virtually any. My favorite artist is Tom Petty. I’m a huge Tom Petty fan. I own all of his vinyls. I have all his music, and all the older magazines of him from the 80s and 90s. I went to his concert this past summer a few months before he passed away. He was in Pittsburgh on June 9, and my dad and I went. We had pretty good seats. That was one of the most memorable moments of my life. I also like Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, AC/ DC—that genre of music, really. Q: If I could live anywhere, it would be … CC: If everything worked out perfectly, I’d love to be close to Pittsburgh again. But other cities I’d really be interested in going to would be Charlotte. I’ve heard Charlotte is a very nice area, and Austin, Texas. I have a friend of mine that works down there, and he loves it. Q: What is your favorite thing about being a VT athlete? CC: My teammates. I’ve said it a million times, for all the struggles and prices you pay for being a student-athlete at any level, let alone this high of a level, for the early mornings, the late nights, the travel, the hardships on your body … it’s all worth it when you have a group of 34 other guys that you have a bond with that is unlike anyone else on campus. You go through a whole lot with those guys, and to be able to come out on the other end of it makes you have a special bond with some great guys.