Athlete Profile
Hometown
Olympia, Wash. |
High
School
Timberline |
Year
Senior |
Major
Economics |
Robert Thomsen is having a tremendous
senior season for PLU. A well-rounded, athletic defensive player,
he is leading the team with four fumbles recovered and is the
second leading tackler with 52 tackles.
Describe
your family. How have they helped you in your athletic career?
My parents, Ken and Kathy, both attended PLU and live
only about 30 minutes away in Olympia. They have been my biggest
fans since I first strapped on pads in fourth grade. My sister,
Jessica, graduated from Western Washington in 2006 and is now
living in Boulder, Colo.
What made you decide to come
to PLU?
I really wanted a chance to play football after high school while
still getting a great education. I had my choices narrowed down
to PLU and UPS, and was planning on going to UPS up to the eleventh
hour. Since making the choice to come to PLU I have never looked
back.
Have you studied abroad?
If so, describe your experiences?
I spent a month hiking in New Zealand my sophomore year and I
still don’t believe that I got credit for it. The landscapes
were amazing and the people there were so easygoing and friendly.
Then, last year I took J-Term off and went backpacking around
Europe for a month with my housemates/ teammates Kelly Totten,
Keith Sparks and Daniel McDonald. That trip really taught me how
to live cheap and spontaneously as we rarely woke up knowing where
we would be sleeping that night.
What has been your favorite
class at PLU?
I took a great class taught by Priscilla St.Clair on the economics
of development in third world countries.
Have you had any trouble
balancing athletics with academics?
I have found it to be less challenging
to do well in classes during the season than in the off-season.
During the season I manage my time much better than in the off-season.
There are just way too many fun things to do outdoors in the spring.
What are your plans after
college?
It looks as though I will be helping
my dad run his logging business. However, I will first be traveling
out to Colorado to visit my sister for a few weeks. I also want
to get a dog as soon as possible once I graduate.
When your athletic career
is all said and done, what is it that you would want people to
say about you?
I want my opponents to say that
it was both a joy and a challenge to play against me. I want our
team in the future to be so talented that they say “wow,
and we thought that defensive line in 2007 was good; look at us
now”.
Describe
your hometown and what you miss about it the most.
My house is on my grandparents’
farm in the outskirts of Olympia. When I am at school I miss my
motorcycle and my jeep which spend most of their time at home
on the farm.
What's your favorite spot
on campus?
Olsoen Gym, because I love going
to men’s and women’s basketball games in the off-season.
What is your favorite restaurant
in Tacoma?
I love Porter’s Place. It
is like Famous Dave's on steroids. Porter’s has huge portions
of barbequed meat slathered in sauce for a great price. If you
haven’t been there you need to try it.
What music is playing in
your ipod before a game?
On the way to home games Andy Holden,
Andrew Eisentrout, Kelly Totten, David Nicoli and myself cram
into my jeep with the top down. We listen to an assortment of
music, from ‘Numa Numa’, to Michael Jackson, to ‘What
is Love’. We know the words and have choreographed hand
motions for all of the songs, and we always roll into the stadium
to the Manowar song ‘Carry On’.
