Category: Sports

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Campus Organization Spotlight: The Student Athletic Advisory Committee

When prospective students think about college, many times their minds are drawn to big things like classes, professors, sports, fraternities or sororities, and dining. However, many times the most memorable and fulfilling moments of college happen within the many small organizations and clubs offered on campus.

The Student Athletic Advisory Committee (SAAC) is made up of student athletes who act as a voice in Division III athletics for the 20 varsity athletic teams at Grove City. Each varsity team has two members on the committee, totaling 40 members. I am one of the varsity Men’s Soccer team’s committee representatives, and I also act as the SAAC treasurer.

The Student Athletic Advisory Committee is a national organization that stems across all three divisions of collegiate athletics. The committee is broken up into three levels: national, conference and campus. The national committee meets to discuss new legislation for collegiate athletics that our campus SAAC then gets to vote on. The conference committee addresses issues within their individual conference. The conference committee that Grove City is in, the Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC), consists of one representative from each school in the conference. Lastly, there is the campus committee, which consists of the two representatives from each varsity team.

The mission of the SAAC is “to enhance the total student-athlete experience by promoting opportunity, protecting student-athlete welfare and fostering positive student-athlete image.” The Grove City SAAC accomplishes this in a multitude of different avenues.

First, representatives get to offer their input and ultimately vote on rules, regulations and other policies that affect student athletes. Whether that be on the national, conference, or campus level, each representative acts as the spokesperson for their team when new legislation gets brought up.

SAAC representatives also put on events to raise support for athletic teams. Those events look different for different teams. These events include tailgates, swim parties, theme nights at games, and offering prizes for attendance.

Another task of the SAAC is to build a sense of community within the program of athletics at Grove City. One way they do this is by giving each athletic team a “buddy team” of the opposite gender. For example, Women’s Water Polo may be paired up with Men’s Basketball. That buddy team is supposed to support the team they are paired with as best as they can. Whether that be getting the whole Men’s Basketball team to go to water polo games with their chests painted, or simply writing them good luck notes before games, these pairs provide more intentional and personal support.

The SAAC also helps organize community service efforts. These efforts could be raising money for a family in need, Christmas caroling, or decorating cookies for a local nursing home, the SAAC is always looking to help better the community.

The Grove City SAAC has really had a great impact on me over the past two years. I have seen how much it means to a team when the SAAC helps get hundreds of students to one of their games. Being on the soccer team myself, there is no better feeling than having a packed house. Also, having a voice in national, conference and campus endeavors is a great feeling. It shows that Division III athletics really cares about the needs and opinions of their student athletes.

The SAAC meets monthly to discuss legislation, upcoming events and other news around the conference and campus. If you are looking to potentially be a student athlete at Grove City, you could represent your team with the SAAC one day!

 

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Double Varsity Sports with Gretchen Elsey

Gretchen Elsey Competing in the High Jump
Gretchen Taking a Shot on the Basketball Court

Gretchen Elsey is a sophomore here at Grove City College, majoring in Exercise Science, while also pursuing a Nutrition minor. When Gretchen is not in the classroom, you can most likely find her on the basketball court or on the track. That is correct, Gretchen plays two different sports at the varsity level for Grove City College. Gretchen is a shooting guard for the women’s basketball team, and she does mostly high jump, with a little bit of long jump for the track and field team.

Gretchen said it takes drive and discipline to play two varsity sports at the collegiate level, but she said she would not want it any other way. When I asked Gretchen about the time she must commit to both sports she said, “Basketball is definitely much more demanding because the season is so long. Our basketball team does a lot of community service projects as well so it’s not just basketball practice every day and it’s super cool to be able to reach out to the community and form those relationships. Whereas track is a little different because I miss a large majority of the indoor season because of basketball. They both take the same level of commitment though, in both sports, the team and coaches are relying on you to show up and focus in to get 1% better each day.”

Gretchen said she had always planned on playing two varsity level sports when she decided to come to Grove City College. I asked Gretchen if she prefers one sport over the other and she said, “That’s a tough question because they are so different. Track is nice because its more individualized in a team setting and it’s scored as a team event, but it heavily relies on how the individual performs. Basketball is 100% a team sport and everyone needs one another to perform at its best.” Gretchen said she has recently excelled more in track, but that basketball has taught her a lot about being mentally tough, which she can carry over from the court to the track.

Advantages coming from playing two sports, according to Gretchen, are all the friends and connections that are made and being like a big family with your team. She also said playing two sports really teaches her how to manage and balance her time effectively. Gretchen said some disadvantages are having less time for relaxing and taking naps, and that trying to make plans can be difficult because there is often a lack of free time.

I asked Gretchen how she manages her time when she is in the heat of her sports seasons, and she said, “It can be challenging but having very little free time really makes you have to do your work in between classes or right after practice. I’ve always been bouncing around from sport to sport and keeping busy, so for me it’s still the same routine.”

I also asked Gretchen how she focuses on academics when she is in the thick of her two different schedules, and she said, “It can be hard at times especially when there are those weeks where it feels like you have absolutely everything due and five exams and no time to do any of it, but I know that in a few years I won’t have competitive sports anymore so ultimately, I’m here to focus on my academics because that will follow me after my college career.”

Gretchen Elsey is the 3rd on the team in 3-pointers, and a two-year letter winner for the women’s basketball team. When it comes to track and field, Gretchen is the 2018 Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) outdoor high jump champion, 1st Team All-PAC, she has been named PAC Rookie of the Week twice, she has been named ECAC Rookie of the Week twice, she is the 2019 PAC indoor high jump champion, and she is the indoor record holder for women’s high jump at Grove City College.

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Swimming and Diving: An Inside Scoop

The swimming and diving program at Grove City College is centered on competing for each other and for God’s glory. We all work hard together to build each other’s strength, skill and faith to pursue our best selves both in the pool and in the classroom.

Here at Grove City, we are a Division III team. What that means for the program is that the athletes cannot be paid to train, and the program has restrictions on how much it can train the athletes, but what it means for us as swimmers and divers is that our motivation goes beyond money or status. When we chose to come to Grove City for swimming, we came looking for a community of people striving for two goals: success in the classroom and success in the pool. The entire team then strives to build each other up to achieve these goals.

We achieve success in the classroom by putting studies first. When freshmen first come to Grove City, we require them to attend study tables twice a week for their first semester. This helps them build solid study habits for the rest of their time here. However, it is not just the freshmen that go to these work nights. The entire team makes an effort to come and study alongside each other. The juniors and seniors often are scholastic support systems to underclassmen that are going through the same courses they once went through. In addition to study tables, classes and exams always come first before practices and swim & dive meets. Whether it is an interview for a job, a big exam, or an extra lecture, practice will always be second.

Our success in the pool stems from our dedication to push each other in every training aspect we pursue. At lifting, dryland workouts, and swim or dive practices, each member of the team is pushing themselves to make every set count. When each individual is dedicated to pushing themselves, they can push their teammates that are working right alongside them. Since both the men’s and women’s team trains together, the entire team works together and builds an amazing community. We get meals together, study together, go on fun outings together, join other groups together, and even room with each other. All of the bonding we do through our sports in the pool helps create a community of people who care for each other and pursue greatness together.

Our motivation outside of our individual and team success is the desire to put our best out for the glory of God. Alongside our training together and studying together, both the men’s and women’s teams host Bible studies. These studies are lead by juniors on the teams and help to encourage each other throughout the season. Whether the team has a tough practice, a big meet, or a big paper due, we all remind each other that God will carry us through.

While we are very dedicated to our time in training and studying, we do not forget to have a little bit of fun on the side! The team does all kinds of traditional fun things outside of work. We go on annual outings to corn mazes, bowling, and Chipotle. On the weekends after meets or practice we will have game nights, movie nights, or just time to hang out and laugh together.

The Grove City Swim and Dive Team are a support and a family that come together to do a sport we love, study as hard as we can, and love God with all our hearts.

Check out our feature video below!

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Program Spotlight: Strength and Conditioning

The Strength and Conditioning (S&C) program here at Grove City is focused on helping student athletes achieve success in both their sports and their studies. Coach Caleb Thrasher and his team of assistant coaches are working to build the program beyond what it has ever been before. Thrasher’s definition of success is reaching and helping every athlete that comes to Grove City.

In an interview with Coach Thrasher, I asked what his goals and aspirations are for the program as well as for himself as a coach. Here is what he has to say, “I want to reach inside the athletes’ heads. I want them to be able to take their skills in the weight room through the rest of their lives.” My first encounter with Coach Thrasher was when I started weight training for the swim team my freshman year. Two years later, I can truly say he has given me new skills that I will take with me when I leave Grove City.  Even though we may be training for a specific sport during our time here, we can still use those new skills outside of our regular training. Thrasher highlighted this aspect by saying that, “The athletes’ pursuit of their sport will change once they graduate, but they can train in the weight room exactly as they did in their college careers in order to achieve lifelong fitness.”

Since Coach Thrasher is a coach for every varsity team at Grove City, he wanted to ensure he was creating programs specified for certain teams. During our interview he said, “I don’t want a cookie cutter approach to training the athletes” at least six times. He has proven how much he believes in this statement by showing just how much he cares about every individual athlete. Even though he has over 200 athletes under his leadership, every single one of has been personally helped by Thrasher in lifting and conditioning technique.

When I asked him what he was doing to make the program better, his theory was that, “Being an S&C Coach means you have to be a lifelong learner. I am challenging myself to teach techniques more effectively when I am in the weight room and when I am implementing mobility work. I go to conferences and see other coaches and learn from them so I can provide more knowledge for the students to access.” With Thrasher’s goal to “take people wherever they are physically and make them better movers” he is constantly working on finding ways to connect to wider varieties of athletes. Before working with the swimmers, Thrasher did not know too much about the sport. But just in the two and a half years that I have been training under him, he has constructed and implemented a program specifically suited to help swimmers excel in the pool.

But strength training is not the program’s only focus. Thrasher highlighted this by pointing out that, “People don’t care how much you know if they don’t know how much you care. Having a support structure and supplying a support structure is the key part in helping our athletes be the best they can be. Helping the athletes in this way aligns with the Christian community of the school itself. Physical training is part of one’s growth as an athlete and I want to come alongside our athletes and mentor them in their journeys. We take people wherever they are physically and we make them better movers. It doesn’t matter where you start, as long as you want to get better.” Coach Thrasher and his entire team have come alongside the athletes of Grove City to support them in both their physical and psychological journeys.

For more on the Strength and Conditioning program check out our info video below:

 

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A Major League Intern

Nate Curry, a 2019 senior, may seem like your average student athlete, but last summer he had a major experience with Major League Soccer (MLS) at its National Sales Center. Located in Blaine, Minn., Nate spent the summer as an intern supporting the current crop of post-graduates who were going through the sales training program themselves.

An internship at Grove City can be used for class credit if it meets the criteria set forth by each academic department. A few of these requirements may include regular contact with your faculty advisor, logging your hours worked, and a paper to reflect on your time as an intern. Depending on the number of hours of work an intern does, they can receive an upwards of six hours of class credit. A student’s faculty advisor for their internship will be a professor who has had firsthand experience in that type of work. This has proven to benefit our students because they can go into their internships knowing what they can expect, as well as being aware of what challenges they may be faced with.

I sat down with Nate and his faculty advisor, Dr. Scott Powell, to discuss what Nate’s experience at the National Sales Center was like. Dr. Powell also gave us some insight on the advantages of doing an internship for academic credit, as well as why Grove City encourages all of their students to take advantage of those benefits.

Dr. Powell and Nate went more in depth on Nate’s internship, the importance of an academically verified internship, and what it looks like to be a Christian in a secular work environment. If you are interested in learning more about these topics, you can view our full interview here: https://youtu.be/_RBSy-zZfAo

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Rob Kunst – Balancing Football & School

Rob Kunst, a senior Finance major and Analytics minor, has played football all four years during his time at Grove City College. He began playing his junior year of high school, sparking his passion for the sport. Rob’s decision to play college football was inspired by his two uncles, alumni football players from Grove City. His dad also played football during his time at California University of Pennsylvania. “I knew playing football in college wasn’t going to be easy, and as crazy as it sounds, I think that’s why I did it. I wanted to be pushed, tested, and have an opportunity to learn lessons that can’t be taught in a classroom,” Rob explained. He specifically chose to come to Grove City College for the academic reputation, religious atmosphere, friendly culture, and strong alumni network.

Coach Chris Smith, the College’s head coach on the previous staff, recruited Rob four years ago, along with coaching his two uncles way back when. In high school, Rob played tight end and inside linebacker. He came to college as a tight end but has evolved into a tight end and wide receiver hybrid.

Rob discussed his football season schedule, as it is a year-round commitment. For pre-season, players receive an optional summer training book with detailed regimen regarding lifting, running, conditioning, and nutrition. With three years of past summer internships, Rob was challenged with fitting training into a structured 40-hour work week. He worked hard to start his days at 5:30 in the morning for training before work, a process that eventually came naturally in his day to day life.

After a rigorous routine of “eat-sleep-football” during August football camp, the season begins … but so does school. Football is six days per week, including games on Saturdays, until about mid-November. Balancing football and school is not easy, but Rob found a way to stay organized and use prioritization skills daily.

The post/off season begins with lifting after Thanksgiving, leading into the spring semester of school. After months of daily training, April brings Spring Ball, a time where the NCAA permits team practices on the field three days per week for five weeks. In addition to the training and practicing in the spring, there are also team meetings one night per week that include senior leadership training.

Head coach Andrew DiDonato has been a huge blessing for Rob; he has a positive mindset no matter the situation, takes responsibility for all of his actions, strives for a successful life, finds joy in helping others, and works effectively even with challenges. “One of the biggest lessons in faith has been that true, overflowing, and everlasting joy comes from a meaningful relationship with God. If that’s what fuels my fulfillment and happiness, then there’s nothing in this world that can take my joy away. Living this out has changed my life and strengthened my walk with Christ,” Rob said. Although Rob will not develop his football career after college, he plans to support coach DiDonato and the Grove City College football program in any way he can.

“I have already began to apply lessons to academics, my career, and relationships. I would say that the most significant impact has been on my early career. To provide some context, I came into Grove City’s football program in the pit of its 33-game losing streak. There’s nothing fun about being part of a losing streak, but the experience of working towards ending one is priceless. Living out this challenge was the closest simulation I had to turning around a failing company in the business world. With that in mind, the lessons preached by successful entrepreneurs and business influencers about building a prosperous business align closely with the lessons that we had to implement as a team to improve our success. Therefore, these skills have been highly applicable to a business setting and have already helped me to succeed in several different business/finance internships and secure a full-time position with an exceptional company in August of 2018 – before even stepping foot on Grove City’s campus as a senior. These lessons aren’t a secret, and they’re not ‘life hacks.’ They just require necessary discipline to live out and follow every day,” Rob said.

After graduation, Rob will be based in New York City and can help large companies solve complex business issues as a consultant at Protiviti, a global management consulting firm that helps its clients solve problems in areas like business process, analytics, internal audit, and technology. Rob’s goal to become a consultant stems from being a part of the transformation that is taking place within Grove City College’s football program. He wants to help companies, managers, and executives become better at what they do, along with reaching their goals. Rob is excited to have the opportunity to help and grow with Protiviti. He thanks his influential professors, coaches, internship colleagues, members of the Career Services Office, and quality friends for the constant support and compassion.

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IM Leagues

Intramural Sports (IM Sports) are pretty huge at Grove City College…like, “one of the best programs” kind of huge. Most of the student body participates in some IM sport each year, and there are IM leagues for just about anything you could think of. Everything from IM Basketball to IM Settlers of Catan exist. All of them occur each year on campus.

Registering and signing up for IM sports in the past was a pretty cumbersome process. For sports, you had to fill out a release of liability form for each sport. When a student plays in several sports each year, this got pretty tiring. Plus, if your team had a conflict with one of your scheduled game times and wanted to request a time change, you primarily had to communicate via email with the other team’s captain, which took up too much time to accomplish a fairly easy task.

This year, Grove City College switched over to IM Leagues, an app that handles all aspects of IM sports, and things have been so much easier. Inside the app, a student can register for a sport, join a team, and sign off on their waiver form all digitally. Once part of a team, the schedules are then uploaded to the app, which provides alerts for when one has an upcoming game. There are tons of features that seem like they come right from fantasy football, like the ability to trade players and pick up “free agents” (those who do not have a team).

So far, the transition to the app has gone pretty smoothly, which has eliminated a lot of the common headaches that students have to deal with. It also has helped keep more teams accountable with showing up to games, which has allowed everyone to actually play instead of facing a last minute cancellation due to a communication error beforehand.

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Wolverines on the Run

At any home football game, a common phrase attendees hear is “Schools on the Run.” This is, of course, in reference to junior running back Wesley Schools, who recently became the second running back in school history to reach 3,000 yards. The Wolverines have faced their fair share of challenges the past few seasons but are looking at a bright future for the program. Schools has had a huge impact on rebuilding in the past few years and offers unique perspective on the team’s vision, challenges, and goals moving forward. In their game against Carnegie Mellon, Schools said they shifted their game plan to run the ball more and then throw to one-on-one matchups to wide receivers. Adjustments to the Wolverines’ game plans come in light of a quarterback change. Former quarterback Randall Labrie is out for the season, this is not a new challenge for the team as they lost their starting quarterback early in the season last year as well. In the face of this challenge Schools noted that Labrie is “very much still a leader on the team, he’s sent out emails and is still actively involved as a captain.”

The vision for the team is not dependent on its personnel, the culture that Coach Andrew DiDonato has created is one in which every member plays a role supporting the team’s vision, whether they are on the field, the bench, or as in Labrie’s case, off the field for the season. Schools said that he has not ever seen the likes of DiDonato in terms of individual player development. Schools stated that “DiDonato cares more about the person than the player, he practices what he preaches, and teaches the team ownership, vision, and work ethic no matter what obstacles we face.” The rest of the season will be an uphill battle and yet Schools is optimistic that the Wolverines can still finish at their projected 7-3 record and even move past the regular season. The team is looking fresh and put together moving into the latter half of their season and Schools is ready to keep on running.

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Not Playing Sports in College, A New Way of Life

Grove City Women’s Tennis Fall 2015. Photo courtesy of Alyssa Jackson

During my last tennis match at Grove City, my strings broke and I used my coach’s racquet. The heavy feeling of a new object threw me off. I lost the exhibition match, ending my career in a let down.

Let me just say, this is no bashing of playing college sports. Playing varsity tennis taught me much. I learned time management, team development, and how to lead a team to play for the glory of God. I learned self-discipline both physically and mentally. And I learned that sports will always play a role in my life. I proudly look forward to future days as a soccer mom.

For 14 years straight I played team sports including soccer, basketball and tennis. When I made the decision to quit varsity tennis at Grove City, I stepped into unknown waters. What was life without daily practices, working out with the motivation of adding to my team, and proudly wearing my uniform to class on match days?

So, why did I leave behind these experiences? A shoulder injury definitely played a part. I tore my labrum and needed surgery, which I had the spring of my junior year. Talk about going from an athlete to a couch potato.

Time can only be used in so many ways before it is gone. Two to three hours a day of practice and two- to seven-hour matches during the week and on weekends filled my waking hours. Homework and some time with friends filled the rest. I realized that though I loved my team, competing and being in shape, I wanted to use my college experience to pursue other opportunities. One of my passions is writing, and after quitting tennis, I devoted much more time to improving my skills.

I am avidly pursuing a career in journalism. I accepted a job with the college newspaper and am now the managing editor until I graduate in December. As I move on from college, I have an internship with World Magazine, an answer to prayer and I am so excited.

Though I miss the accountability of being on a team, I know I made the best decision. Not only could I spend time interviewing and writing people’s stories, but I learned to enjoy assignments, freely attend evening lectures, and simply enjoy being surrounded by friends on this beautiful campus.

If you are a high school student deciding whether or not to play a varsity college sport, let me help you – There is no wrong answer. I split my college career of playing sports and not, and I am glad I got to dip my toes into two very different worlds. Though there is no wrong option, some are better than others. Keep in mind the time you spend at college cannot be duplicated.

Also know that our intramural (IM) sports program here at Grove City is nothing to joke about. IM soccer, volleyball, badminton, tennis, basketball, ping pong, and even flag football have all filled my four years. Though varsity sports may not be for you, alternatives abound. Do not fear when you no longer devote each moment to bettering your body and your team. Life after college is filled with marriage, jobs, travel – but the chance to play on a varsity team may not carry over. However, each of those other activities can be bettered during the formative four years of college.

Make time to enjoy God’s creation, watch a movie with your roommate, listen to a talk from a renowned guest speaker, play some IM sports and maybe go for a run. Each human consists of mind, body and soul. Each can be nourished by the choices we make. And no matter which choice you make about varsity sports in college, you will find your place.

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Reel Life at Grove City College: A Chat with Andrew DiDonato, Professor of Exercise Science and Head Football Coach

Andrew DiDonato, a Grove City graduate in 2010, is head coach of the football team here at the college. He also teaches exercise science and physical education classes. In this episode of Reel Life, he sat down with me to answer some big questions.

  1. What inspired you to teach and coach in exercise science?
  2. What is the biggest piece of advice you’d give to college-aged students?
  3. How do you want Grove City College athletes to think about sports?
  4. What is your favorite part of your job?

Coach DiDonato is passionate, wise, and kind. I was so happy to get to do a video interview with him, because those traits show up on camera in a way I would not have been able to capture on paper.

I hope you enjoy watching as much as I enjoyed filming!