Alabama Swimmer to Participate in NCAA Leadership Conference
4/22/2003 12:00:00 AM | Swimming & Diving
Adam Hall is going to Disney World.
The junior swimmer from Alabama is not going for the rides or to see Mickey Mouse, but to participate in the 2003 NCAA Leadership Conference.
Hall will join other select NCAA student-athletes who have been identified as leaders on their campuses and in their communities next month to discuss student-athlete welfare issues and to enhance their leadership skills at the Coronado Springs Resort and Walt Disney World Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida.
The NCAA Leadership Conference is one of the largest non-competitive gatherings of NCAA student-athletes. This will be the seventh leadership conference that the NCAA has hosted for student-athletes who compete in fall, winter and spring sports in Divisions I, II and III.
Criteria for selection include the student-athletes' demonstrated ability and strong desire to be a leader and the student-athletes' potential to benefit significantly from a leadership development experience. College and university officials who have CHAMPS/Life Skills programs at their schools are encouraged to nominate student-athletes for the conference. Many of the participants selected for the leadership conference are also members of the student-athlete advisory committees in their athletic conference or on their campus. The NCAA will announce the student-athletes who have been selected for the leadership conference in May.
In order to be eligible for the leadership conference, the student-athletes must be in good academic standing and must have athletics eligibility remaining in the following academic year. A committee comprised of CHAMPS/Life Skills coordinators from member institutions and NCAA student-athletes review the nominations to determine the final selections.
The conference was designed as a forum for student-athletes to discuss key issues collectively, and to provide them with an opportunity to enhance skills, which will enable them to become more effective leaders and motivators when they return to their campuses. The conference also provides student-athletes with exercises to enhance their decision-making and problem-solving skills, and to improve planning and priority management.
During the five-day leadership conference, student-athletes have the opportunity to discuss a variety of topics, which include the demands and expectations of student-athletes; inclusion education; international student-athlete experiences; recruiting visits; student-athlete responsibility; party behaviors; trust gaps within intercollegiate athletics; and sportsmanship.
Following the leadership conference, the student-athletes will be asked to share their experiences and topic discussions with their campus student-athlete advisory committees, as well as other campus leaders. The participants are also asked to develop a strategic plan that will address or solve an issue on their campus or in their community, and implement the plan when they return to their campuses.
