Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
PROVO — Yes, being away for two years serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints can actually benefit some athletes.
Take the case of BYU kicker Jake Oldroyd, for example, whose mission service to Chile has benefitted him greatly as he contends to help out this year's Cougar football team on two fronts.
“Just having those two years helped out tremendously,” Oldroyd said. “I had some back problems, but those are all fixed now. I feel completely healthy now, so being away for those two years was definitely a blessing.