We’re now a solid two months beyond the AVP season, and hopefully around 6 months from the start. Side note: I know nothing of the new schedule, so no need to DM me with unsolicited inquiries. Most athletes have taken some time off. Others are still playing international tournaments, AVP Next Gold Series events, or lesser-known events like the 4s tournaments in Austin.
Emily Day is one of the people who’s still playing. She and partner Betsi Flint are in the Main Draw of the 4-Star FIVB event in Itapema, Brazil, November 10-14. They’ve continued training throughout the fall. But I wanted to catch up with her on what life would look like after Brazil, and Emily’s gone through enough offseasons to speak to it.
“EmDay” is a brilliant mathematician who tutors kids and is working toward a Master’s Degree in Applied Mathematics from Cal State Long Beach. After volleyball, she hopes to be a professor in the subject. She’s also mad fit (see all her visible abs and insane athleticism), recently engaged to the love of her life, and a big Bravo reality fan. So she’s basically #goals.
Here’s how Em spends her very full offseason days.
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7am
Wake up and get ready for the day. I don’t start my days with coffee because I’m fine if I can get up and get a workout in. Breakfast is always Greek yogurt with fruit and granola. Like every single morning, without fail.
8am
Get a lift or workout in at the USA Volleyball gym. Most of the year, they program our workouts.
10am
After I get home, I shower and then get some work done. I’ll usually have homework for my Master’s. Or now I do some wedding planning. We’re currently sending out a ton of emails, mainly scoping out venues in Mammoth or Palm Springs. Once we have one, we can set the date!
12pm
Make lunch – typically, I make a salad or go the easy route with a Trader Joe’s prepared salad. And I always have some crackers with peanut butter. I love peanut butter. Lunch is when I get my mental break for the day; I’ll eat my salad in front of a Bravo show. My favorites are The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and Project Runway.
12:30pm
Coffee time. I’m such an afternoon coffee person. Once I eat lunch, I start to get that low-energy feeling. When I played overseas in Switzerland, having a coffee after lunch was part of their culture. They got me hooked on that. I don’t need coffee in the morning, but after lunch, I’ll have a cup and two cookies before I head to school or start tutoring. My preference right now is anything pumpkin, but my all-time favorites are chocolate chip cookies from Torrance Bakery.
1pm
I currently have two on-campus classes down at Cal State Long Beach, both around an hour-and-15-minutes long. So with driving, two courses, and a small break – school takes up most of my afternoon. Next semester, there’s a good chance I’ll be a Teacher’s Assistant. I’ll get to teach! Though that’s undoubtedly more work, teaching is what I hope to do after I’m done with volleyball.
5pm
Most nights, I’m home around 5 or 5:15, and I’ll have a virtual tutoring session. I run my own business – Mathlete Tutoring – so I’ll have one or two online sessions with students of mine.
7pm
My fiance Iman and I will make dinner – usually a bowl of some sort. Our go-tos are rice with ground turkey and broccoli or chicken and asparagus.
7:30pm
If there’s still homework or wedding planning to do, this is my time to finish everything. Or I’ll hang with Iman or my family, who all live close by. Em’s Entourage goes hard all year round!
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Funny enough, Emily’s schedule during the season doesn’t stray too much from this. She just adds two hours of practice in the morning. And, of course, the travel throws a wrench in the schedule. But Emily is so on top of everything. She manages to get it all done, sacrificing weekend time to do homework or other chores. Honestly – so impressive.
