July 20, 2009
Photo Gallery
While things may have slowed down in the Lafayette athletic department during the summer months, many student-athletes remain on College Hill to pursue various academic and athletic endeavors. Lafayette College Athletics has decided to catch up with some of the student-athletes to see what they're doing for the summer and to get to know them a little better. This week senior fullback Jeff Cumming filled us in on his summer so far.
What are your plans for your summer at Lafayette? Are you taking a class, doing research, working out? I am at Lafayette this summer for an internship with a financial planner in Allentown. I alternate my time between working in their office and a restaurant that my boss is opening where I help market and promote. I spend my nights working out with Coach Potts and the football team five days a week.
What's your major and what do you like about your major? I am Economics and Business and Policy Studies double major. I really like my majors because they make think and analyze problems from an economic point of view.
What is your role on the team? I am a fullback. I am primarily a blocker for our running backs, but I am also a part of our passing game and sometimes I get to run the ball in short yardage situations.
What is your earliest football memory? My earliest football memory is playing flag football when I was in first grade, and I was too big to play with the kids my own age, so I had to play with the older kids.
Do you model yourself after any particular athlete? No not really, I try to model myself after several athletes in college and the NFL, and take a piece of something special they do and incorporate into what I do.
What can you take from your sport and incorporate into everyday life? Hard work and preparation. It takes a lot of time and hard work each week to prepare for a game each week to be successful, and I try to emulate that preparation for every test or assignment I have.
A talent I'd like to have is...Dancing, I don't have any good moves.
The sport I'm worst at is...Basketball, I'm a terrible shooter.
Something about me that others would be surprised to hear is...I love to read.
What is your favorite roadtrip (college or otherwise) and why? My favorite road trip would be traveling to New York City to play Fordham and Columbia because it is a short trip and we got to stay in a nice hotel with great food.
What teammate does the funniest impression of your coach? Wow, that's hard to say. Last year, my teammate Brendan Willard could make everyone laugh with his impressions of Coach Heffner, but everybody tries to do their own impressions.
What is your favorite activity outside of your sport? Why? I love playing golf. I enjoy it because it can be relaxing at times (when I don't have to find my ball in the woods), and because unlike football which is a team sport, golf is individual and it is up to you to determine how good you can be.
What is your favorite phrase or saying? Hard work pays off.
If someone wrote a book about your life, what would the title be? Perseverance.
Who would play you in a movie about yourself? Why? Russell Crowe. He is a good actor and I feel he could give an accurate portrayal of me.
TV show I can't stop watching...Seinfeld.
What is the greatest thing you can learn from a loss? How to get better. Sometimes a loss can be the best thing for a team to regroup and evaluate.
What do you still wish to accomplish? I still wish to accomplish a conference championship. We won my freshman year, but it would be great to finish out my career with a championship.
If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go? I would travel somewhere in the Caribbean so I could relax on the beach all day.
You have an entire day to do whatever you want. Where do you go and what do you do? Well, first I would sleep in, and then I would probably get in a round of golf.
Who is your favorite professor and why? Professor Mark Crain. I've had him for several classes including one that dealt specifically with the Election Broadcast last year, and it was great to be involved in that production.
What do you like most about Lafayette? I like the community aspect of the college. Students and professors know each other by name and it is not uncommon to run into one of your professors or coaches around College Hill.
What is your favorite class and why? My favorite class was Women in the Economy with Professor Averett. We analyzed the economics that are behind the decisions women make in terms of marriage, pregnancy and entering and leaving the job market.
Who is the most influential person in your life? My father. He has always been there to help guide me through life.
Have any of your experiences at Lafayette involved traveling to NYC? If so, what for? Yes, I traveled there for a play with VaST class, and I went there a second time to look at the architecture in the city for an architecture class.
Word Association:
Lafayette: Leopards
Lafayette Athletics: Pride
Football: Life
Early morning practices: Tough
Your coaches: Great
Your teammates: Brothers
Lafayette-Lehigh rivalry: Winning
Preseason: Grueling
Strength & Conditioning Coach(es): Dedicated
Fisher Field: Our House
Bourger Varsity House: Home away from home
