No Offseason for Bishops’ Londot
Tamra Londot ’14: A three-sport athlete. (Photos by Sara Blake)
Tamra Londot ’14 is part of a rare group of OWU athletes who participates in three sports at the collegiate level. She plays volleyball, basketball, and softball, and is an integral part of each team.
“She’s one of our leaders for sure,” said Stacey Reed, head women’s basketball coach.
Head softball coach Cassie Cunningham added that Londot’s work ethic separates her from many other athletes, and cited her passion for competition as one of her great leadership qualities.
While playing three sports presents many challenges, Londot said that the support of her coaches helps her get through each season.
“All my coaches are behind me 100 percent,” said Londot. She also said that she is fortunate to be allowed the opportunity to play three sports. And her coaches believe that multi-sport athletes often can be better recruits.
“Not only do multi-sport recruits build additional skill sets, but it also keeps them very active in their offseason, which is good for building time management for college academics,” said head volleyball coach Taryn Haas.
Basketball coach Reed agreed with Haas, adding that multi-sport athletes also are usually better recruits because of the experiences they gain from being on other teams.
Of all the sports she plays, Londot said that softball is the hardest to pick up in the middle of the season because she is a pitcher. Softball coach Cunningham had a different view, saying the fact that Londot is a pitcher helps make the transition much easier than it would be for a hitter.
Reed commented that Londot makes good preparations while the team is transitioning, which makes it easier to become integrated into the rotation once her volleyball season ends.
Although she likes all three sports she plays, Londot believes there is one sport for which her skills are much higher than her other two sports. “Basketball, for sure,” she says, is her best sport. She led the team in points per game (9.6) and ranked second on the team in rebounds per game (6.6) last season.
Conventional wisdom says that playing many sports can take up time, decreasing academic performance. Londot insists that doing three sports has helped her time management skills tremendously, and her grades are usually better when she is busier.
Londot’s time management skills will be put to the test even more next year, as all three of her coaches expect her to become an even more influential leader, especially in volleyball.
After her playing career comes to an end, Londot said she is very interested in coaching either basketball or volleyball at the Division III college level.