May 29, 2002
INDIANAPOLIS - A total of 282 NCAA student-athletes identified as current or future leaders on their campuses and in their communities have been selected to participate in the sixth annual NCAA Foundation Leadership Conference. The conference will be held May 26-30 at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex and the Coronado Springs Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.
Kyla Deon of the Western Carolina women's soccer team will represent WCU at the conference in Florida. Deon, a 5-7 defender for the Catamounts, will start her senior year this fall after helping the Lady Cats to their first ever Southern Conference Championship in just three short years of the team's history. She is also a member of the WCU Student-Athlete Advisory Council.
The 2002 NCAA Foundation Leadership Conference is one of the largest non-competitive gatherings of NCAA student-athletes. The conference was designed to enhance student-athletes' leadership and communication skills to enable them to become more effective leaders and motivators when they return to their campuses. The convention setting provides the student-athletes with an opportunity to discuss key issues that affect them on campus and in their communities. The conference also provides them with exercises to enhance their decision-making and problem-solving skills, and improve planning and priority management.
The student-athlete leaders were selected from a total of 1,183 nomination forms that were submitted by colleges and universities that participate in the NCAA CHAMPS/Life Skills Program. Student-athletes attending the leadership conference will represent 20 NCAA sports: alpine skiing, basketball, baseball, cross country, equestrian, field hockey, football, golf, gymnastics, ice hockey, lacrosse, rowing, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, track and field, volleyball, water polo and wrestling.
During the five-day conference, participants have the opportunity to discuss a variety of topics, such as issues that impact intercollegiate athletics and society; diversity; student-athlete welfare; social behavior; trust gaps between coaches, administrators and student-athletes; Title IX; NCAA rules; peer pressure; competition on religious holidays; and involvement in other college and university campus activities. Following the 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.
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. In order to be eligible for the 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 inaugural NCAA Foundation Leadership Conference was held in May 1997, at the Disney Wide World of Sports Complex.
For more information on the NCAA Foundation Leadership Conference, log on to the NCAA Web site at http://www1.ncaa.org/membership/ed_outreach/champs-life_skills/foundation_leadership_conf/index.html.
For more information on the NCAA CHAMPS/Life Skills Program, log on to the NCAA Web site at
http://www1.ncaa.org/membership/ed_outreach/champs-life_skills/index.html.
|
|
 |
