Inside the Red Zone

Owen Bloggers (OB) sat down for an informal chat with John Cole (JC) to hear about his experience as a first-year Owen student, and a wide receiver for the Vanderbilt Football Team.

(OB): John, thanks for joining me. I apologize in advance for the title of this chat. Finals week killed my creative juices. How is life shaping up after Mod 2 finals?

(JC): No problem. Life is good. Glad to be finished with finals and now I can concentrate my efforts on finishing up the season strong with the Music City Bowl.

(OB): Nice! I am sad that my ops career is over. Ok. That was a lie. What has been your favorite part about Owen?

(JC): The community and getting to know my classmates has definitely been the best part. I enjoy the diversity of the class and how many people have unique backgrounds and work experiences. For me being on the younger side of the class and coming straight from undergrad I have learned a lot from my classmates who have real world work experience.

(OB): What has been the most challenging part?

(JC): Mainly the time crunch I have been under. With football taking up a large chunk of my schedule, I have little time to do anything outside of practice and schoolwork. I want to spend more time with my classmates outside of study groups and the like. That will change once the season is over and I am looking forward to getting more involved at Owen / having more of a social life.

(OB): Time does fly here and life can get overwhelming. During Mod 1 I often thought of Jessie Spano’s, “There’s no time”, meltdown in Saved by the Bell as I tried to manage all the class work and internship searching.

(JC): Ha-ha. That was a great show.

(OB): Ok, back on track. Has anything surprised you at Owen?

(JC): Mostly the schedule. Mod 1 was intense, but even though that was expected it was challenging getting used to the pace of life, which is quite different than undergrad, and how fast classes moved. Life in Mod 2 improved, as I preferred Mod 2 classes compared to Mod 1, so it was a better experience for me. Also I was injured and sat out a few weeks during Mod 2 so I was able to spend more time at school due to injury and that extra time was beneficial for schoolwork and spending time with classmates.

(OB): What class do you feel will be the most helpful going forward?

(JC): Finance. I had no prior finance background as my undergrad degree was in human and organizational development (corporate strategy minor). It was a tough test for me, but I learned a lot and I know it will help going forward as it is applicable to the real world.

-John Cole in action for the Commodores.

(OB): Earlier you mentioned the Music City Bowl. What are the general feelings from the team on playing a bowl game in Nashville?

(JC): We are excited and ready to go. Our preparation has been solid as we have been putting good practices together, and the energy level has been strong. For some of us it is our final go around so we are trying to savor the last moments and really make it special.

(OB): What activities does the team have before the final game?

(JC): We have bowl week, which is always a fun time. It is a great chance to spend time together off the field and bond with teammates. Outside of practices the bowl activities include a range of events from talent shows to concerts, boat tours, team meals, eating contests, etc. We also get to spend time in the community. Last year we were in Memphis and stopped by St. Jude Children’s Hospital to spend time with some of the kids. It is always a great experience visiting with kids in such a tough spot and seeing how courageous and happy they are. It puts things in perspective for you. We frequent the Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital throughout the season.

(OB): Sounds pretty action packed. Have you ever performed in a talent show?

(JC): No, but they are great to watch. We are also excited to play in front of so many of our fans. We are hoping for a good crowd and it should be a lot of fun! At this point of the year the season can at times feel long, but the team is excited as for many of us it will be our last game.

(OB): Hopefully it will be a good turnout, and possibly even a few celebs could be there. Maybe Faith Hill is a Commodore fan?

(JC): It’d be great if my girl Carrie Underwood showed up, no offense Mike (Fisher).

(OB): That would be nice. All right, to wrap up we are going to having a lightening round of questions to help the readers learn more about you. So…. what is your favorite class at Owen?

(JC): Marketing

(OB): Favorite professor?

(JC): Tie between Tim Vogus (Leading Teams and Organizations) and Steve Hoeffler (Marketing).

(OB): Favorite movie?

(JC): Braveheart, no question.

(OB): Favorite band?

(JC): I like all country music, but have been jamming to The Naked and Famous a lot lately.

(OB): First concert?

(JC): Jackson Browne with my parents. My first concert on my own was George Strait.

(OB): Celebrity crush?

(JC): Um…let’s see…let’s go with Mila Kunis and Candice Swanepoel.

(OB): Who is Candice Swanepoel?

(JC): She is a model.

(OB): Well played. All right, Owen crush?

(JC): Ha-ha. Now that question could get me into trouble.

(OB): Yeah, sorry. Some ladies paid me to ask that one. Favorite Nashville hangout?

(JC): Tin Roof

(OB): Do you frequent the dance floor there?

(JC): Absolutely!

(OB): Quality! Well that is a good spot to end at….so is Tin Roof. John, thank you for the time and it was good hearing about your experience so far at Owen. Good luck this weekend!

(JC): Thanks. I am happy to do it. I hope some readers can make it to the game.

(OB): Anchor down!