Athletics - Holck (Baseball) / Carter (Track) Attend NCAA Life Skills Seminar
November 3, 2006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
College Athletics
Rider’s Holck (Baseball) and Carter (Track)
participate in NCAA seminar
LAWRENCEVILLE--Senior Erik Holck (Readington, N.J./Hunterdon Central) of the baseball team and junior Jarnae Carter (Columbia, Md./Long Reach) of the women’s track & field team were selected to represent Rider University at the NCAA Regional Leadership Conference in Jersey City October 20-22.
“The students had some reservations when I told them they would be giving up a weekend to attend a leadership conference sponsored by the NCAA,” said Sonya Hurt, Academic Support Coordinator for Rider Athletics. “All they pictured was a weekend with long meetings and it wound up being a much different experience for them.”
“When it was announced at Arete that I was the 2006-07 Female SAAC representative for the conference, I was filled with mixed emotions,” said Carter who is majoring in psychology. I knew how important this position was to the Rider department of athletics and I wanted to ensure that I was the right candidate. My passion for the students-athletes at Rider goes beyond just the sport I participate in and the people I interact with six days a week.”
“It was a great honor to be chosen to represent Rider at the conference,” said Holck who is graduating in the spring with a degree in management. “It was a great experience and I made some new friends. I learned a lot about the administrative process and what goes on behind the scenes so that we can compete in the NCAA.”
“This honor provided me with the opportunity to give all Rider athletes a voice among other student-athletes from several other institutions,” Carter added. “Going into the seminar I was extremely nervous and I wanted to retain as much information that was provided so that I would have a lot to bring back to the campus.”
The seminar is part of the CHAMPS Life Skills Workshop (Challenging Athletes’ Minds for Personal Success) sponsored by the NCAA that was launched in 1994. Under the direction of Hurt who is Rider’s CHAMPS/Life Skills Coordinator the Broncs are participating for the first time in 2006-07.
“The speakers spoke about the Student Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) and did a background of the history of the NCAA,” said Holck. “They informed us about the important people you should know on campus as a student-athlete and it gave me a better sense and greater appreciation about all of the people involved in athletics. Things are much more complicated than just rolling the ball out and playing. It put things into simple terms for us and gave us a better understanding of the athletics department as a whole.”
“The most interesting information covered at the conference was the role the student-athletes play in the NCAA legislation process,” Carter added. “We discussed several concerns being reviewed by the board such as 'myspace' and 'facebook' and it was very interesting hearing the different arguments. Overall I think I gained more then just the information that was covered at the conference. I also returned to Rider with a few more friends [requested through facebook] and all the people there all had in common the motivation to make a difference on their campus. Although the days were long it was exciting getting up at seven in the morning and conducting various exercises that would not only better myself personally but also the overall athletic community here at Rider. Sonya, Erik and I are thrilled about the goals we have set for the athletic department and it should be very interesting to see it all unfold.”
“Being a former NCAA Leadership Conference Facilitator I knew it would be one the best experiences of their collegiate career,” Hurt added. “I did not want to spoil it so I kept quiet and just let them experience the weekend. After the conference, they both had a renewed spirit and new outlook on what leadership means to them that they can share with the over 300 student-athletes on campus as well as their respective teams. Watching them throughout the weekend also renewed my commitment working with our student-athletes.”
The department of athletics will be nominating four student-athletes to participate in the spring with one being selected to attend the national workshop in Orlando, Florida.
-RU-
