BERNIE STUDENT BATTLES VIDEO ADDICTION; CLASSMATE SPENDS HER SEMESTER IN REHAB

Erin Holt, a freshman at Southeast Missouri State University, pulled rubber cords Friday to strengthen her shoulders for rehabilitation following a volleyball injury.

Editor's note: This is one of a series of articles following Bernie freshmen Erin Holt and Bradley Botsch as they navigate their first year of college at Southeast.

Bradley Botsch has become very good at a video game called "NHL '98" during his first year of college. Erin Holt is doing a lot of sitting as well, benched for the spring volleyball season because of rotator cuff surgery.

Fortunately, Botsch is also carrying four A's and a B into the stretch run of his second semester.

And Holt's rehabilitation is coming along nicely.

Neither Holt nor Botsch followed the mass migration of college students to Florida or Padre Island, Texas, for spring break. Both went home to Bernie.

Botsch competed in a crappie tournament. Holt caught up with her studies and sleep. "I'm not a big partyer," she says. She likes it that way.

"You can't get yourself into trouble like some people do."

Holt, who plays intercollegiate volleyball, first hurt her shoulder in high school. "I rehabbed through it but I fell again this year," she said.

She played through the pain during the season but had the surgery nine weeks ago. She anticipates the range of motion, stretching and strengthening work will continue through the rest of the year.

Holt had a boyfriend until they broke up a month ago. They remain friends. "It was a disagreement over something," is the explanation she offers.

College offers freshmen new independence and experiences. "It's experience after experience you have to learn from," Holt says.

The high point of Botsch's freshman year so far occurred in February when the former high school basketball star helped a team from Southeast win a Baptist Student Union tournament at the University of Missouri. Southeast's team had to beat Mizzou's twice to win the title.

Now that it's spring he's playing shortstop for BSU's softball team.

The low point of the year so far was staying up until 4 a.m. working on a term paper he made an 83 on. "I guess that's what I get for waiting until the last minute," he says.

Botsch continues going home to Bernie every weekend to see his family and his girlfriend and do some fishing. Holt stays in Cape Girardeau more and is more involved in campus life, offering her opposition to a plan to build a new university center. "A lot of people think they should update the library before they worry about the UC," she said.

The library's collection of books is aging and it's relying too much on the Internet, she says. "You can't guarantee the information on the Internet is completely true."

Holt accompanies the volleyball team to tournaments but doesn't like being in the position she's in. "It drives you crazy," she said. "You're so used to playing every day and you can't."

A huge poster of The Undertaker, a professional wrestler, now dominates the suite Botsch shares with friend Jason Crow. They are planning to welcome a third roommate to the suite in the fall. His name is Brandon Stone, another friend from Bernie.

"It's better to have somebody you know than somebody who's unpredictable," Botsch says.

Meanwhile, he's trying to establish a study routine.

"I study when I need to," Botsch said. "If I can get off that hockey game. It's addictive."