Ryan Bakken is a senior quarterback on the football team. Here is an interview with him from October.

Why do you play football?

I have been playing for 11 years and it is some of the most fun I have ever had.  I have made some of my best friends playing football and I love going every day to work with my team.  I find football as a good release for after school and to just stay in shape and get stronger in general.  I actually find that playing sports helps me do better in school because it gives me a schedule and something to do and make use of my time.  I find that when I have nothing to do I get less done than when I have less time to do it. 

How do you manage being a three sport athlete as you play football, basketball and baseball?

I manage it by getting into a routine. I like to be busy so I always have something to do. I have to manage my time well so I get into the routine of school, practice, home to shower and eat, them homework. I try to get as much homework done as I can on the weekends to give me more time during the week to relax and do other things. Overall it’s all about time management and getting done what I have to do first and them doing the other stuff after. 

What does the term student-athlete mean to you?

The term student-athlete means to me a student who handles their business with school first and putting the sports next. All coaches say that academics come first and I believe that to be true because at the end of the day, if something happens that prevents you from playing, you need some academics to fall back on, especially in the future. 

As a senior, what are you most excited for your upcoming seasons?

As a senior, I’m most excited to just go out on a good note and ball out with my friends for my upcoming seasons. Since it’s my senior I’m not going to hold anything back. I just want to go out every sport knowing I did everything I could to have a successful season. These are the seasons I’m going to remember the most in the future so I want to make good memories that I can reminisce about with my friends 20 years from now. 

You are a state champion in baseball and basketball, how do you bring that championship mentality to the football field?

I know that to be a championship team, every practice has to be sharp and focused without messing around. I try to bring this mentality to the football field every day and influence it on my teammates.  I know what championship teams do on and off the field so I try to bring that with me to football so we take care of business and don’t do dumb stuff that is not helping.