Indiana University Athletics
Max Dean NCAA Leadership Journal
7/20/2005 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
July 19, 2005
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - IU redshirt freshman wrestler Max Dean returned to Bloomington after attending the 2005 NCAA Leadership Conference in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., May 29-June 2, a with a new outlook on the national convention. The Hoosier set aside time at the event to write down his thoughts and reflect on the experience of his first conference. Here's a look into the 2005 IU representative's experience from the national conference held at the Disney Wide World of Sports and Coronado Springs Resort.
The NCAA Leadership Conference provides NCAA student-athletes with a forum to openly discuss issues that may affect them on their campuses and in their communities, while also providing them with the opportunity to enhance their leadership, communication, decision-making and problem-solving skills. The leadership conference also promotes better communication among student-athletes, coaches, administrators, faculty and communities. The five-day leadership conference consists of daily exercises and activities to help the student-athletes develop as individuals and as contributing members to a group.
Max Dean NCAA Leadership Conference Journal
Five months ago I thought the NCAA Leadership Conference was a glorified SAAC (Student-Athlete Advisory Committee) meeting. And although there were two specific SAAC sessions, there was more to this conference than I ever imagined. Originally I was honored to be selected as the Indiana University representative for the conference (as the other three IU nominees are pretty outstanding individuals). However, now I consider my selection to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity rather than just an award. . This is a brief recap of how 29 complete strangers changed my life.
The NCAA Leadership Conference is composed of approximately 360 student-athletes who each represent an institution. I have never worked with a more diverse group of people who all have similar desires and aspirations to better their institution through athletic means. In addition to the student-athletes representing NCAA Division I, II, and III athletics, there were a number of participants from foreign countries. Within the 29 athletes in my Pink Team we had students from Jamaica, Venezuela, Israel, and South Africa.
Our activities varied from day to day but we always had a tentative schedule of events. Major topics for discussion and debate were: Early Registration, The 20 Hour Rule, SAAC Effectiveness/Improvement, Student-Athlete Community Service, Diversity, Five Years of Eligibility, Title IX, Creating Change, Problem Solving, and of course...Leadership. The purpose of these discussions and the various activities were to raise the awareness of the selected student-athletes by providing useful information and alternate perspectives. By educating these select student-athletes, the NCAA is striving to improve the nation's institutions by maximizing the positive impact athletics has on today's student-body. With more informed decisions and better student-leaders, athletic programs can be as instrumental in the education process as a classroom and a textbook; however, it could never replace the academic benefits of a college education.
Dr. Myles Brand, a former Indiana University President who is currently the President of the NCAA, was one of the featured speakers at Monday's session. I had the unique opportunity of eating lunch with Dr. Brand to hear his opinion on nearly every controversial issue. With realistic views and supporting studies he managed to alter my views on some of today's major issues, especially Title IX. He is a very influential and impressive man.
Throughout the conference we were instructed to be constantly thinking about a self-directed project to take back to school. Numerous examples of previous projects were presented in our color team meetings and in one general session. I couldn't limit myself to just one goal, so my self-directed project has three main objectives:
To improve team unity. -Not to imply we lack team unity, but I simply feel it can be improved to include some extra curricular activities which could bring us closer as a "band of brothers".
-Some of my ideas include rock climbing, a community service event, an intramural team, and a hiking trip.
Assist in the Indiana University SAAC's structure and organization. -The conference had some great ideas and suggestions in order to strengthen the effectiveness of a university's SAAC. An effective SAAC can make college athletes feel supported by the administration and ensures them their voice is being heard. It's safe to assume performance increases when athletes feel more supported and important.
Heighten motivation and teamwork by improving communication. -Nearly every organization has issues with effective and efficient communication, and they continue to work on improving their current situation. Certain sessions at the conference taught me how to suggest ideas while at the same time listening to the perspective of others around me. This goal could easily be accomplished with a few meetings, both with my teammates and with the coaching staff.
One key element I have not discussed is the individuals in my color team...the Pink Team. This is the hardest aspect to explain and I fear I lack the capacity to fully express my feelings for those individuals on the Pink Team. Our facilitators, Eric and Germaine, were very well organized and created discussion within our group--their ability to run this conference has come from years of facilitating, research and personal experience. However, it was the connections I made with my Pink Teammates which really made the conference a success. Betsy from the University of Tennessee showed me I'm not alone in my struggle to constantly improve my team and my campus. Craig (a.k.a. Jamaica) from Louisiana always had a smile on his face as he always presented something different to the whole group. Nicole from the University of Kansas showed me how to live with desire. And both Ike from California and Molly from THE Ohio State University were mentors in the truest meaning of the word and two people I greatly admire. It was conference members like these who I will never forget--athletes who brought their open hearts and minds to Orlando, left any ego at the door, and simply came to learn.
