Tuesday, April 13, 2021
Burnout blues Students discuss ways of coping with end-of-term exhaustion Megan Cherry Staff Reporter With the end of the semester fast approaching, students have been tasked with staying motivated and persevering through the long term. Losing spring break made the semester difficult. “The hardest thing about this semester is having to power through the semester without having any break to look forward to. Usually an upcoming break motivates me and keeps me focused, but since this semester did not have that, I am burned out,” Carlyn Guthrie, a student at OSU, said. There are many ways to stay positive in stressful circumstances, some students have found solace in watching new shows and movies, or rewatching old favorites. “I love rewatching the How to Train Your Dragon See Blues on pg. 2
Students enjoy the sunshine on a warm spring day right outside the union.
Joshua Cleary
Center back smarts Jackson earning her roll as defensive leader Ben Hutchens Staff Reporter Dallas D’Feeters coaches Randy Shaw and Steve Davis had a short phrase they would break out during club soccer games. “Him and I would just turn to each other and go ‘so smart,’” Shaw said. “Ninetyfive percent of the time it would just be between the two of us on the sideline during a game and it would be because of something Ally (Jackson) did.” Jackson is a junior center back on the Oklahoma State Soccer team. She is a cerebral player, essentially the quarterback of the Cowgirl defense, who reads the game and directs teammates like traffic. She accumulated her soccer IQ playing club ball in North Texas, although
Alicia Young OSU defender Ally Jackson passes during the Oklahoma State vs. Texas Tech soccer match on Friday, October 30, 2020 at Neal Patterson Stadium in Stillwater.
she was not always on the D’Feeters. “I had the misfortune of coaching against (Jackson) for the first part of her young
career,” Shaw said. “When you’re coaching at the highest level you notice the really talented players that are playing against your team and Ally
certainly fit that bill.” Jackson’s competitiveness was the first thing Shaw admired and what made coaching against her so difficult. It was only natural he started recruiting her to join the D’Feeters. “Ally was a player that was at the top of my recruiting list every year,” Shaw said. “I don’t know if my persistence wore her down or maybe the level our team was ascending to on the national stage attracted her enough that she wanted to (join).” Jackson joined the D’Feeters late in her high school career. The team was very good and already had an established starting lineup that housed several future college players. “She could have easily been on the outside looking in as a sub coming off the bench or a role player, but she just wasn’t going to allow that to happen,” Shaw said. Jackson adopted a team first mentality. Rather than See Center on pg. 6