SVEN ALSKOG
STAFF WRITER
It takes a special type of person to become a NCAA athlete, let alone a two-sport participant. Enter Idaho State University volleyball and track and field athlete Bailey Bars.
“Bailey is a pleasure to be around and a joy to have on the team,” said track and field head coach Dave Nielsen. “She is a leader by example and very willing to work hard.”
Work hard is exactly what Bars will have to do as she continues forward as a rare two-sport athlete at ISU. To this point, the results have been positive, filling an important opening on the volleyball roster and looking to build upon a strong freshman season with track and field.
For volleyball, head coach Chad Teichert was excited to have a player of Bars’ caliber come available to his disposal this season.
“Bailey is a freshman right side,” said Teichert. “She has a great arm and puts up a good block.”
With track and field, the story is much the same.
“Bailey is a national caliber javelin thrower,” said Nielsen. “Time and wise training is the magic for her. Her nemesis is potential injury to her elbow or shoulder. Javelin can be very demanding on these body parts and by staying healthy I have no doubt that she will become one of the best throwers in the NCAA.”
In high school, she received numerous awards and honors for each sport including Player of the Game for the Oregon state volleyball championship game, being unanimously voted first team volleyball all-State for both 2010 and 2011 and earning school records for kills and the javelin.
Perhaps most important in her quest to be a successful student-athlete is her continued focus in the classroom, as Bars was a scholar athlete for all four years at Hidden Valley High School and built a 3.11 cumulative GPA over her first two semesters at ISU. Along with being a two-sport athlete, she will also be pursuing a pre-medicine degree in hopes of eventually being a radiologist.
Being goal-driven, it is only natural that Bars would have lofty expectations for each of the teams that she is a part of at ISU, along with goals for herself in each sport as well.
“For track I am actually redshirting [this season], but my goals by the time I graduate are to throw the school record and win conference the next three years I participate in,” Bars said. “Volleyball would be to improve all around as an individual, be a supportive teammate and help my team to win in any way possible.”
To reach these goals, Bars will have to find the right balance of school, athletics and her social life.
“When I don’t get enough sleep or eat healthy my body suffers and then in practice or lifting I am tired and don’t always perform to the best of my ability,” Bars said. “Then my schoolwork suffers from that because I come home tired and am not always motivated, or I stay up too late doing homework.”
There are many things that go into making the transition to a Division I two-sport athlete a success.
“The athlete needs to be disciplined and organized, but the actual physical work shouldn’t be more than just a different mix,” said Nielsen. “I think much of that responsibility is up to the coaches in coordinating practice/competition demands. I feel coach Teichert can sort this out for the best result for Bailey.”
Fortunately for Bars and her coaches, she has a mindset that will help her to achieve success in school, along with each sport.
“I would say that I am strong in the fact that I always want to win, I always have that desire,” said Bars. “I would say that I am confident in my abilities to perform.”
The support of each coach helped to lead to the opportunity to become a two-sport athlete.
“I encouraged her,” said Nielsen. “I don’t see this as a dilution of her talent at all, plus it is a boost to her scholarship aid.”
Bars is as much of a team player as there comes, as she always tries to do what is best for the team, however she noted that in track and field if she fails in an area like the javelin, it only impacts her.
“Within volleyball I have teammates who depend on me,” said Bars.
Although Nielsen may be her track and field coach, he knows that with Bars on the court for Bengal volleyball anything is possible.
“The day just seems to be a little better for the team with Bailey around,” the track and field head man said.
Each team will hope for many more enjoyable days with Bars around in their respective seasons. One thing is for sure though, the motivation will be there for her at all times for one key reason.
“I really hate losing,” Bars said.
Fortunately for her in regards to volleyball, she comes into a situation on a team that won 23 games last year and which returns numerous key players. It should all add up to help make sure the tough losses come at a minimum for the two-sport athlete of ISU.
