Ethical Leadership in Collegiate Athletics
Ethical Leadership in Collegiate Athletics was a class I felt helped tie the entire content of the program, and pushed me to think critically about issues in collegiate athletics. During this class, we had the opportunity to read Leading Quietly. This book, and the papers and discussion we had gave me different perspective on what leadership is. Leadership is not always being the loud person, but can be done Quietly as the name of the book suggests. This idea of leading quietly is something I will cherish and bring with me in my career in collegiate athletics. Further, during our extended weekend we had valuable discussions as a class. The best discussion we had focused on the idea of beauty in sport. Our classmates came up with many different examples of beauty in sport. Examples included the Central Washington Softball players who carried their hurt opponent around the bases, or a pre game ritual cheer by athletes. Also, pure emotions, both of victory and defeat were also sources of beauty for my classmates. The opportunity to sit with my peers and peruse youtube in search of beauty in sport was something that brought great perspective to my life regarding sport, and the use of sport in our society. This thought ties into the final assignment we did for the class. Each person was assigned to watch a sport related movie and discuss the deeper meaning for our society. I choose to watch the movie Bull Durham, one I had not yet seen. This movie talked of the importance of working together with individuals, and finding a way to succeed. Its about two teammates who did not like each other, but found a way to work together which lead to their success. Sport movies in our society send huge messages regarding our lives, which leads to the realization that sport has a huge impact on our society. Sport can lift the spirits or break the hearts of a nation. This class gave me great perspective into the importance of athletics in our society. Internship experience:
Spring quarter has been a great culmination of my classwork and internship experiences thus far. This spring I have been in a whirlwind with softball, as we have traveled extensively and competed successfully on the field. The skills of leadership I have learned in the program have been able to be put to work in my internship experience. I have had the opportunity to take charge of team travel, and work with many different kinds of people in different cities. I have also had the chance to dramatically increase my coaching skills with the help of the husky coaching staff. Next year, I feel as if I will be able to move into a softball program and make a positive impact because of the opportunities and experiences I have had this year. My internship has been an awesome, busy, exciting and rewarding experience and I cannot wait to see the success of our team in the postseason the next couple of weeks, and last few weeks of my internship experience.
Final program reflections:
The Intercollegiate Athletic Leadership program I am close to completing has been the best educational experience I have had thus far. I have had the opportunity to grow as a student, a coach, and a person. This program has given me both the tools and perspective to lead effectively. I am better able to relate to my peers, and coworkers, I have grown extensively in my coaching skills and I have a greater knowledge of both athletics and higher education. I am excited to both have my masters degree in my hand, and to test my knowledge and experiences in the "real world". Exiting this program is a bittersweet thing, and I am so thankful for the opportunities I have had.
