There were 36 golf carts lined up outside the Western Hills Golf Course waiting for the 36 teams of four who were preparing to compete in the Washburn Athletic Department Golf Tournament.
The Athletic Department put on golf tournament to raise money toward athletic scholarships and had a good turnout. After thunderstorms early in the morning made it look at though it may be canceled, it turned out to be a beautiful day and the event started as planned.
A wide-range of golfers participated, including boosters, athletic alumni, coaches, athletes’ parents and members of the community. There were two rounds, one in the morning and another in the afternoon. The teams played scramble style golf, where each player hits from the spot of the previous best shot. Some teams were competitive, some playing for fun, and most all the teams were generous with their money.
“We had a very successful day. People were having fun and donating money towards a good cause,” said Kerry Dickerson, associate athletic director and organizer of the event.
At three of the eighteen holes, there were student-athletes prepared to offer each team a deal they couldn’t refuse. At one of the holes, if a player got their ball to the green on the first swing they got a free Blizzard from Dairy Queen. Another hole, the golfers could make any bet they wanted, on themselves or their teammates, if they did what they bet, their money would be doubled, if they didn’t they would lose their money. And on another hole there were five holes cut into the green and for $10 the team could shoot at any of the five holes.
“People were very generous to us throughout the day. All of the money raised totaled over $35,000,” said Dickerson.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Inside look at the recruiting process
Signing a national letter of intent to play a sport at the college level is a significant day in any high school athlete’s career. Signing the dotted line(s) seems like a simple enough task, but the steps taken to get that student-athlete to sign at Washburn, takes a lot of time and persistence.
“It’s a long, complicated process that involves a lot of people and a lot of persistence,” says Chris Herron, Head Volleyball Coach.
The process starts when the student-athlete gets in touch with the coach of a school they are interested in playing at or the coach makes first contact with them. Experienced coaches can usually tell by looking at one tape or watching the recruit one time, if they have potential. The communication usually starts over email and progresses to phone calls. With increasing interest the coach will go on a recruiting trip and try and watch the recruit as much as they can.
“You don’t want to catch an okay player on her best day and then her never play like that again. It is important for me to go watch a recruit play numerous times before I start pressing her to choose Washburn,” says Herron.
It may seem simple, but there are many rules that coaches, as well as recruits have to follow at different times during the year. There are strict rules about contacting and meeting with a recruit and these are closely followed by the NCAA and other members within the coaches athletic department. Ultimately, the athletic director is responsible for knowing what his or her coaches are doing and making sure the rules are followed.
Some of the recruits will be asked on an official visit to campus and that’s when the coach will or will not offer the recruit a scholarship and a chance to wear the Washburn jersey. The recruiting process can take weeks, but can also last up to a year. In the end, the coach with the best recruiting tactics is going to end up with the best and most competitive teams. Herron is one of those coaches.
“When I want a player, I pursue them aggressively because they are going to make my team more competitive. I always am recruiting with the idea of a national championship in my mind,” says Herron.
“It’s a long, complicated process that involves a lot of people and a lot of persistence,” says Chris Herron, Head Volleyball Coach.
The process starts when the student-athlete gets in touch with the coach of a school they are interested in playing at or the coach makes first contact with them. Experienced coaches can usually tell by looking at one tape or watching the recruit one time, if they have potential. The communication usually starts over email and progresses to phone calls. With increasing interest the coach will go on a recruiting trip and try and watch the recruit as much as they can.
“You don’t want to catch an okay player on her best day and then her never play like that again. It is important for me to go watch a recruit play numerous times before I start pressing her to choose Washburn,” says Herron.
It may seem simple, but there are many rules that coaches, as well as recruits have to follow at different times during the year. There are strict rules about contacting and meeting with a recruit and these are closely followed by the NCAA and other members within the coaches athletic department. Ultimately, the athletic director is responsible for knowing what his or her coaches are doing and making sure the rules are followed.
Some of the recruits will be asked on an official visit to campus and that’s when the coach will or will not offer the recruit a scholarship and a chance to wear the Washburn jersey. The recruiting process can take weeks, but can also last up to a year. In the end, the coach with the best recruiting tactics is going to end up with the best and most competitive teams. Herron is one of those coaches.
“When I want a player, I pursue them aggressively because they are going to make my team more competitive. I always am recruiting with the idea of a national championship in my mind,” says Herron.
Friday, May 1, 2009
Student-athletes support Special Olympics
Student-athletes can make a big impact on people’s lives and that was no different at “Fun Day with the Bods.”
The Student-Athlete Advisory Committee teamed together with Special Olympics to put on “Fun Day with the Bods.” The event was held in Lee Arena where ten different sports were set up for the Special Olympics athletes to participate in. There were Washburn student-athletes located at every sport as well as team leaders who were also Washburn student-athletes. The event lasted three hours and included lunch and dancing with the student-athletes.
“We decided to change it up from ‘Bowling with the Bods’ that we did last year and make it a little more interactive this year,” said Summer Harris, Director of Sports Marketing and Advisor for SAAC.
Forty-eight Special Olympics athletes filed into the gym, some wearing their signed t-shirts from last year’s ‘Bowling with the Bods,’ ready to play every sport they could imagine. And the event didn’t let them down. They rotated through each sport, including football, basketball, soccer and volleyball. However, the most popular station could have been the karaoke and dancing station. All of the athletes showed off their dance moves and learned new dances, some brave enough to get on stage and show off their moves.
“The dancing rotation seemed to be the most popular and we ended the even with both Special Olympics athletes and Washburn athletes dancing together,” said Harris.
At the end of the event each Special Olympics athlete got their personalized certificate of completion. The prize drawing at the end garnered much cheering and squirming with nearly every athlete leaving with a prize.
The Student-Athlete Advisory Committee teamed together with Special Olympics to put on “Fun Day with the Bods.” The event was held in Lee Arena where ten different sports were set up for the Special Olympics athletes to participate in. There were Washburn student-athletes located at every sport as well as team leaders who were also Washburn student-athletes. The event lasted three hours and included lunch and dancing with the student-athletes.
“We decided to change it up from ‘Bowling with the Bods’ that we did last year and make it a little more interactive this year,” said Summer Harris, Director of Sports Marketing and Advisor for SAAC.
Forty-eight Special Olympics athletes filed into the gym, some wearing their signed t-shirts from last year’s ‘Bowling with the Bods,’ ready to play every sport they could imagine. And the event didn’t let them down. They rotated through each sport, including football, basketball, soccer and volleyball. However, the most popular station could have been the karaoke and dancing station. All of the athletes showed off their dance moves and learned new dances, some brave enough to get on stage and show off their moves.
“The dancing rotation seemed to be the most popular and we ended the even with both Special Olympics athletes and Washburn athletes dancing together,” said Harris.
At the end of the event each Special Olympics athlete got their personalized certificate of completion. The prize drawing at the end garnered much cheering and squirming with nearly every athlete leaving with a prize.
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