Years ago, legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden recruited a young man by the name of Lew Alcindor out of Power Memorial High School in New York. Coach Wooden had to convince Lew and his family that it would be in his best interest to attend college completely across the country. Although Lew was heavily recruited by numerous major colleges, and offered full ride scholarships (in some cases more) to attend those colleges, he chose UCLA. When asked why he would do such a thing as leave his family and go somewhere he had never been, he stated that Coach Wooden didn’t promise him he would be a starter, or that he would play every game, etc. He only promised him that he would have the opportunity to “live the privilege” of being a UCLA Bruin. Lew was so impressed by Coach Wooden’s honest and sincere statement that he chose to attend UCLA. He then proceeded to lead his team to three national championships (freshmen were not eligible to play at that time) and later, after changing his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, became one of the greatest NBA players of all time.
I use the phrase “live the privilege” quite often when speaking with our student/athletes at Lake Land College. I firmly believe it is a privilege to be a college athlete. We want student/athletes who believe that also. I understand the commitment, dedication, and discipline required to be a college athlete and still maintain the academic standards we require. That is why understanding time management is essential in being a successful student/athlete. At Lake Land College we are far more proud of the accumulative Grade Point Average of 2.88 that our athletes achieved for 08-09 and the fact three of our teams achieved Academic All-American status for the year, than we are in the total number of wins and losses. We are blessed with a very caring coaching staff, faculty, and administration. We feel it is crucial that we do all we can to prepare these young women and men for what lies ahead in their lives. We all know that failing to prepare is preparing to fail. We continually evaluate what is working and what isn’t. Although it is imperative that we learn from the past, we must not live in the past. We must be able to relate to the present day student/athlete.
As Athletic Director I am constantly reminding our coaching staff and athletes that although we have six sports we are one team. This concept is essential to the overall success of our athletic program. It takes a united effort to succeed and we strive for success throughout our athletic program. We know that all good things come from work, and we are going to continue to work hard to represent Lake Land College in the most positive light possible. I encourage each and every one of us to “live the privilege”.
I leave you with one short poem:
No written word
Nor spoken plea
Can teach our youth
What they should be
Nor all the books
on all the shelves,
It’s what the teachers
Are themselves
-Unknown
Denny Throneburg
Athletic Director
Lake Land College
Thought this might be an interesting addition to this post. It's been on my roommates Facebook wall for years...
ReplyDelete"It's not about getting a scholarship, getting drafted, or making Sports Center. It's a deep need in us that comes from the heart. We need to practice, play, to lift, to hustle, to sweat, to compete. We do it all for our teammates. We don't lift weights with a future Olympic wrestler; we lift with a future doctor. We don't run with a future Wimbledon champion; we run with a future CEO. It's a bigger part of us than our friends and family can understand. Sometimes we play for 200,000 fans, sometimes for 25. But we still play hard. You cheer for us because you know us. You know more than just our names. Like all of you, we are still students first. We don't sign autographs for money. But we do sign graduate school applications, MCAT exams, and student body petitions. When we miss a kick, or strike out, we don't let down an entire state. We only let down our teammates, coaches, and fans. But the hurt in our hearts is the same. We train hard. Lift, throw, run, kick, shoot, dribble, and lift some more, and in the morning we go to class. Still the next day in class we are nothing more than students. It's about pride; in ourselves, in our school. It's about our love and passion for the game. And when it's all over; when we walk off that court or field for the last time, our hearts crumble. Those tears are real. But deep down inside, we are very proud of ourselves. We will forever be what few can claim: college athletes."