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Feature Story

Student-Athlete Day

by Bo Kerr

It is not often that the achievements of today's student-athletes go unnoticed. Athletes in this country are looked upon as larger-than-life heroes, who capture our imagination and fill us with pride. You can read about an athlete's game-winning touchdown, dramatic three-point basket, or record breaking sprint in the papers and relive the moment on the nightly news.
It is often the good work these young men and women do off the playing field that goes unnoticed. Auburn student-athletes are no different.
While Auburn student-athletes have had great success on their respective playing fields, they have done some tremendous things in the community as well. Every spring, members of Auburn's athletic teams participate in National Student-Athlete Day. The upcoming National Student-Athlete Day will be April 6, 2000.
Established 12 years ago, National Student-Athlete Day was designed to acknowledge the accomplishments of student-athletes in the classroom, on the playing field and in their communities.
It also recognizes parents, teachers, coaches and school systems who make it possible for young people to find balance between academics and athletics. National Student-Athlete Day is sponsored by The Center for the Study of Sport in Society, The National Consortium for Academics and Sports and The National Collegiate Athletic Association.
Auburn's student-athletes along with the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee decided to dedicate the day to the children of the surrounding area.
"It is always good to work with kids. I just love them in general," Auburn basketball player Tasha Hamilton said. "I think it's good that we can do something positive for the kids, and something that makes us feel good at the same time."
Last year the Auburn Student-Athlete Advisory Committee invited 50 students from the fifth grade class at Northside School in Opelika, Alabama. The students were chosen using a random selection process determined by the faculty and principal at Samford Middle School. Between forty and sixty Auburn student-athletes from various athletic teams volunteered to work with the students.
"We worked with a group of fifth-grade students, and showed them the basic skills involved in our sport," volleyball player Jaunelle Hamilton said. "I asked them what they knew about volleyball, and they were able to ask me questionsÉ it was great."
The days' activities included the students participating in a demonstration of the sport each athlete participates in. The students also attended a Team Reach workshop, a program utilizing student-athletes to teach elementary students about the concepts and dynamics associated with personal and social responsibility. It also worked on focusing on social skills, role modeling, and positive alternatives to inappropriate behavior.
"The kids were very excited to be around the athletes from Auburn. They look up to us as role models," said Summa Edwards, a tennis player from Adelaide, Australia. "Many of them want to be athletes and they wanted to see what it takes and what we do to train for our sports."
"They were able to ask a lot of questions about what I do. The athletes really enjoyed itÉ it was nice to see that we could be positive role models to the kids and that they could see the hard work involved in our sports."
On a day set aside to recognize the off-the-field achievements of our student-athletes, they choose to turn the attention to the children of our community. Student-Athlete Day is just another example of the victories our athletes score, not only for our athletic department, but themselves and the community.