Athelete of the Week: Garyn Schlatter

Redshirt freshman setter Garyn Schlatter was named Big Sky Conference volleyball Player of the Week on Monday, after posting Portland State’s first triple-double since 2007 in last Friday’s match against Northern Colorado. Schlatter, a Canby native, is as gracious as they come. This week, she took a few minutes this week to tell us about herself.

Vanguard: What would you say is the driving factor behind your performance on the court these last few weeks?

Garyn Schlatter: Well, I mean a lot of it has to do with everyone else taking care of their roles, because without them doing their roles it would be impossible for me to do mine. There are always certain things, like defense, that I am trying to improve. And I have been working on that and I think that’s starting to pay off a little bit. 

V: Why did you come to Portland State?

GS: I think the biggest thing was the comfortable feeling. My mom had gone here when she was in college and it’s close to home, and I kind of grew up around the campus and it just felt like a good fit. 

V: What has been your best moment on the court?

GS: That is hard because this is the first year I’ve really played. I think when we have success as a team, it just makes the game more enjoyable and fun. When everyone’s doing well, it makes a very happy and positive and exciting environment. 

V: If you could change one of your sport’s rules, what would it be?

GS: I would say more than three hits on one side, or contact with the ball. Sometimes you get so close to getting a ball over the net; if you just had one more contact, then you could potentially score more points.

V: What is your greatest strength?

GS: I guess being a leader. I try to set good examples and do the right things. In terms of volleyball and being a setter, it’s kind of your job to be a leader. Off the court, I have younger siblings, so I like setting good examples for them and doing the right thing. 

V: Which is your favorite place to eat around campus?

GS: I like Buffalo Wild Wings a lot, and I like Paccini, too. 

V: What is your favorite thing to do around Portland?

GS: Just explore the city, I guess. There are new things everywhere, and I like the different entertainment opportunities. 

V: What is the first item that you would buy if you won the lottery?

GS: I’d buy my mom a log cabin in the country, probably in Oregon, but in the country where her hometown is. That’s what she’s always wanted.

V: What is your most embarrassing on-court moment?

GS: When you hit a ball into the antenna it’s kind of embarrassing, because you got blocked by something that’s not even an inch wide. But just about me? One time there was this crazy rally, and everybody was scrambling and I ended up doing cartwheels over everyone. It wasn’t that embarrassing, it was more funny. 

V: Do you have any nicknames?

GS: Well, I didn’t really have any until I came here. I’m not sure how it started, but everyone calls me “Gare Bear.”

V: How did that come about?

GS: It kind of was a mix between my roommates and my boyfriend. They would always joke around and say it, and then [my boyfriend] started saying it around his friends and all his friends started saying it. Now all my teammates say it. 

V: What is the last thing you cooked?

GS: Probably macaroni and cheese.   

V: If you could attend one concert or sporting event anywhere, what would it be?

GS: If I could go to any sporting event, I’d probably go to a professional football game. 

V: What has been your favorite class at Portland State?

GS: I like classes that are easy to relate to, ones that I can relate things from my personal life to. There is not one class in particular, but not math or science—nothing with just numbers. I especially like health classes, being an athlete and just being a human—I like how it (the body) all works together. 

V: What’s on your iPod right now?

GS: I mostly listen to country, nothing specific, just any type of country. 

V: If you could have dinner with three people—alive, dead or fictional—who would they be?

GS: I would say my great-great-grandparents on my mom and dad’s side, just to see what their life was like and how things were, because they’re so different now than back then. 

V: Do you read the Vanguard?

GS: Yes, I get one every time I go and get rice pudding, which is pretty regularly (laughing). 

V: What song are you most likely to sing at karaoke?

GS: I would probably pick a country song that was a duet and make another guy sing with me, so I wouldn’t have to sing by myself. 

V: What is the last thing you read?

GS: The last book I read for entertainment was called “Ninety Minutes in Heaven.”