A veteran now of three preseason camps, Georgia Tech defensive tackle Adam Gotsis lent some insight into the grind that is the Yellow Jackets' training in advance of the season. Mostly, he says, it's a mental exercise to push past the toll that daily full-pads practice takes on the body.
Q: How is camp going?
A: It's still physical. We're still going, still going strong, like, banging but a lot of it's just becoming mental. It's guys, their bodies are tired, they're thinking about how sore they are rather than what they need to do. I mean, we're all guilty of that now and then. We'll stuff up an assignment just because we're not 100 percent, thinking about it. That's the toughest part about camp. When you get to, like, day 12, day 13, it's all just mental now. You've got to find that next gear and just bring it up to that next level.
Q: How sore are you?
A: I'm alright. It's more just like, fatigue, like your body's wearing down when you're going every day. But, I mean, we've got like some recovery (supplements) out there now. We've got, like, the Powerade popsicles and a little shake out there. Things like that just to get in your body once you start working out. Also utilizing the ice tubs and things like that. You've got to look after yourself in camp.
Q: So, then, how tired are you?
A: Tired. Sleepy. But no, just the legs are going to be heavy just because you're constantly coming out of a stance all day. We've also working out (with weights), as well. It's tough, but it's just mental. You've just go to push yourself. You've got to realize that everyone else in the country is doing the exact same thing, if not more. So that's what you've got to keep in the back of your mind constantly.
You’ve got to be the guy that’s going to bring that positive energy to the team today. You can’t be one of those guys coming in going, Man, I’m hurt. I’m hurting. As soon as you say that, someone else is going to be, Yeah I’m hurting, too. Then, it spreads. It puts that negative vibe over the team. Where, if you come in, you’ve just got to be like, Guys, we’ve got to push through today.
Q: Is there more of the latter than the former?
A: There's a bit of both. There's always going to be a bit of both. We've just got to keep setting that positive vibe. Guys with just that positive mentality coming into everyday like, from the moment they wake up, just pushing each other to get through the day and get better every day. That's kind of the vibe we're trying to go with. Push yourself mentally and physically every day and just become a better player.
Q: What time do you have to wake up?
A: 7 a.m. wake-up on just the normal days where we'll train once a day. Two-a-days, it's 6:20 wake-up. It's not too bad. We normally get out of meetings at 9, 8:30, 9-ish. I'm in bed at like, 9:15. As soon as I get back to the hotel, I'm like, TV might be on, but I'll lay in bed, I'll send like, one text message and almost sleep before I even get a reply. I'll get like, five replies, like, Are you asleep? Wake up in the morning, (I text back), I'm sorry.
Q: Who are you rooming with?
A: I'm rooming with C.J. Leggett. Pretty cool rooming with him. I didn't room with a freshman either of my (first two) years, so it's been pretty cool. We've just been talking. I've just been giving him advice about my experiences through my camps that I've been through and stuff like that.
It’s just good to see like, how eager he is and how much he wants to be out there and want to be playing, because he’s been out the last few days, as well. I’m just trying to stay positive with him and (tell him) whether it is he gets redshirted or not, he’s going to have an influence on the team. That’s the attitude I think these guys, the freshmen, just need to have. Whether it’s a redshirt or not, everybody play a role on the team. That’s just kind of the conversations we have.
