FEATURED SENIOR ATHLETE: Tyson Bridges, Cloverdale

Tyson is a senior at Cloverdale and participates in three sports, football, basketball and baseball.

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Banner Graphic: How important are sports to you, and what have you learned from them?

Tyson Bridges: “Sports are super important for me. They have taught me a lot about discipline, work ethic and being able to be coachable. One of the most important things is being able to follow instructions and being able to do what people ask of you.”

BG: Talk about your sports.

TB: “Throughout high school, I’ve had the most love for football but also dealt with a lot of adversity. My sophomore year, I only played three games due to COVID. I played my first full season as a junior and was All-County. This year, I played the first five games and tore my ACL in the next game. It’s been an unfortunate chain of events but football definitely has a special place in my heart, especially playing with my team and playing at Cloverdale.”

BG: What’s the most embarrassing thing that has happened to you in sports?

TB: “My sophomore year, I made it out of sectional in the 300-meter hurdles. I was seeded last in the regional and was talking myself up before the race but ended up falling halfway through the race.”

BG: What does your game day routine look like?

TB: “I’ve always been a big breakfast guy; it’s an important thing to have. I go through my normal day, making sure to carry water with me all day, and after school, I’ve always been a big Subway guy. After that, I hang out with teammates and get locked in or hang around the locker room until it’s time to go.”

BG: Do you have any favorite college/pro sports teams or athletes you follow?

TB: “I’ve always been an Indiana guy and my favorite teams are the Colts and Pacers.”

BG: You decided to pick up golf this year, which is not the easiest sport to jump into, especially as a senior. What was your biggest takeaway from making that decision?

TB: “Every day in practice after the injury, I was always there on time with my teammates. I’m still a senior and captain, so I wanted to set a good example. I tried to help the younger guys and those that hadn’t played as much that were filling in for me, making sure they knew what they were doing when they stepped on the field and made sure the effort was still there.”

BG: What else do you do at school besides things involving sports?

TB: “I’m not in any club at the moment but I have filled in at chess club with Mr. Tyler.”

BG: What do you like to do outside of school and sports?

TB: “I love working and making money but doing my own thing. I have been knocking on doors offering window-cleaning services until the last couple of weeks. I work on my general skills and work to make myself better, improving on what I can.”

BG: What are your favorites in reading, movies, TV and music?

TB: “Music-wise, I listen to various types, ranging from chill pop some days to rap to country on others. It varies depending on the mood. Show-wise, I watch a lot of history documentaries, most recently ‘World War II in Color.’”

BG: Are you a person that wants to watch TV shows and movies or stream something from YouTube, Twitch, TikTok etc.?

TB: “Probably social media, seeing what’s going on with friends and around Cloverdale.”

BG: What is something you have never done before that you would like to do someday?

TB: “I want to go skydiving or bungie jumping. I’m a bit of an adrenaline junkie.”

BG: What is your biggest fear?

TB: “Not living up to the ability that I have, not just in sports but life in general. That and not meeting expectations of people that have high praise for me.”

BG: You’ve been placed in charge of making dinner. What’s on the menu?

TB: “I’m a big eggs and toast with peanut butter or honey guy, which would be my meal of choice. If I’m making for everyone, I’d probably make chicken alfredo. Everyone likes that.”

BG: Do you have any pets?

TB: “I have a Weiner dog of four years, Tay, and a cat named Bruno we got just a couple of months ago.”

BG: If your house were on fire, all living things were already out and you have your keys, cell phone, wallet/purse etc., what is one thing you would go back and get?

TB: “I would get my 2019 Final Four poster. We traveled to Tulsa for the games and I got the poster signed by all the players on Georgia State.”

BG: A family member has hit the lottery. After everything is paid off and money is set away for the future, you’ve been asked to buy something you have always wanted to get. What are you asking for?

TB: “I would definitely take a cruise. I’ve taken one before and it was one of my favorite vacations, so I’d do that again.”

BG: If you were to describe your personality in one word, what would that word be and why?

TB: “Prideful. I take a lot of pride in what I do and if I do something, I’m big on taking pride in and doing it as well as I can.”

BG: What has been your favorite place to visit?

TB: “I like visiting Kentucky to visit my grandparents. They live in a small farm area with a high Amish population. It’s good to visit them whenever I can.”

BG: What was your favorite school field trip?

TB: “My first day at Cloverdale, after we had moved here, we went on a trip to Lucas Oil Stadium. We got to tour the building and it was one of my favorite trips.”

BG: How important is support from your family and classmates to your success?

TB: “Support from my family is definitely a big deal for me. I always want to please my family and make them proud of me. It also helps me continue to push through adversity when I know my friends and family are supporting me along the journey.”

BG: Describe your overall school experience both academically and athletically.

TB: “I’ve had an amazing experience at Cloverdale. There are amazing teachers that have helped me get through tough things, staying on top of my class work and getting though things outside of school. Everyone there wants you to succeed and it’s one of the best areas I’ve been around. I moved in from Eminence and athletically, Cloverdale feels huge compared to where I’d been. There’s definitely plenty of positives that I like at not being at a big school but a bigger school than I had been at before.”

BG: If your school was to offer a class it currently doesn’t, what would you want to see taught?

TB: “We have a lot of business classes but I wish we had more dual-credit classes that would get people ahead in college. We have two that are intro classes and people are interested in taking advanced classes but we don’t have enough for us to be able to schedule them.”

BG: What are your plans for after high school, and what career are you headed toward?

TB: “I plan to get my realtor’s license and go that route but only part time. I plan to get into an electrician and lineman school for my main career.”

BG: Is it difficult to keep up with your school work being an athlete?

TB: “I have found it is definitely harder when in a sport, but as long as you take advantage of the time you have to work on it, there shouldn’t be too many issues. Just don’t take for granted going to teachers for help; take advantage of those opportunities.”

BG: Which particular classes and teachers have helped you the most in high school?

TB: “A couple of teachers that have helped me the most are my old basketball coach Mr. Rady, who teaches all of our business classes. My current math teacher, Mrs. Hoffman, gets me as much help as I need and does what she can to make sure everyone gets it, not just lecturing but making sure to get individual time with everyone.”

BG: In the future, once you’ve established yourself, if you had your choice, would you want to live in the mountains, on the beach or in the neighborhood?

TB: “Definitely a suburban area down toward Texas or Florida. That would be perfect for me, a place with not too many people but also having neighbors around, which is a nice thing.”

BG: Do you think high school has gone fast, and are you going to miss it?

TB: “It has definitely gone fast. It’s so hard to grasp as a freshman on senior night when people say to not take things for granted. Until you reach senior year, you don’t really, truly know how they feel. It’s definitely gone fast and I’ve had an amazing experience at Cloverdale.”