Q&A with student-athlete Bobby Stratts '23 on doing both

Hometown: Villanova, Pennsylvania

Majors and minors: Business major, media and film studies minor 
 
Activities: Skidmore men’s soccer and men’s basketball teams, Skidmore Athletic Advisory Committee, Admissions open house panelist

Is it tough to balance sports with academics?  
 
I get this question a lot, and I think the combination of sports with college academic expectations makes you more focused as an athlete and as a student, because you have timelines to meet and agendas to follow. For me, being an athlete kept me in line and helped ensure that I completed my homework by the deadline.  
 
How is balancing schoolwork and your social life?

It’s very easy on this campus because you can combine the two a lot of the time. Skidmore is a small school, and many of my basketball and soccer teammates are in the same classes as me. I end up helping my teammates with homework and vice versa. 
 
What type of classes are you taking as a business major?  
 
Some of the classes that I took were marketing, MB107 (the intro course), organizational behavior, financial and managerial accounting, and international business — just to name a few.  
 
What is the best intramural team? 
 
Intramural sports are a pretty big deal at Skidmore. I know in the fall, winter, and spring they all offer different sports like indoor soccer, 3v3 basketball, doubles tennis, 5v5 basketball, and tennis. On a personal level, my favorite intramural team was “Three-man weave.” 
 
What does a typical weekend look like? 
 
The typical Skidmore weekend is your time to chill. It’s for you to explore the campus and Saratoga Springs, and see what both have to offer. I know there’s a bunch of sports games every weekend, and downtown Saratoga is a great place to walk, to go out to shops, and to eat.  

How was your athletic recruiting process? 
 
To kick things off, I sent tapes to Skidmore demonstrating my abilities as an athlete and talked with the basketball coach. I visited campus in February of my senior year in high school — saw the campus, met some of my teammates, and just got a feel for how athletics at Skidmore operate. After all that, I made my decision to come here.  
 
As a management and business major, what do you plan on doing once you graduate?  
 
Anything related to sports marketing, sports management, or insurance. Those are my big three. I also want to stay on the East Coast, since I’ve lived here my whole life. But I’m very much still in the hunt to find a workplace that fits these requirements and where I can further explore opportunities.  
 
What’s your favorite Skidmore memory?  
 
One of my favorite memories was going to RIT this year and beating them 1-0 in the Liberty League soccer quarterfinals, which gave us an appearance in the semifinals for the first time in several years. Another favorite was hanging out with some of my best friends at Senior Week and going to some awesome events.  
 
What advice do you have for first-year students? 
 
To all you first-year students, be yourself! Every first-year student in your class is going through the same process that you are. Moving to a new dorm and a new life away from home allows you to share an experience and connect with the others. Just be you and people will be drawn to that.