Temple Well Represented at 2012 NCAA Career in Sports Forum

Five Temple University student-athletes - Missy Schweitzer (lacrosse), Kacper Rams (men's tennis), Emily Frazer (volleyball), Jennifer Abercumbie (women'strack) and Jabair Khan (baseball) - were among 300 student-athletes from around the nation to take part in the NCAA's 2012 Career in Sports Forum.? The Forum took place from June 7-10 and allowed NCAA student-athletes to explore various career paths inside collegiate athletics, from roles in administration to coaching. Below are perspectives from Jennifer Abercrumbie and Kacper Rams.

Jennifer Abercrumbie

Attending the 2012 NCAA Career in Sports Forum was a one of a kind opportunity that will continue to influence my life for many years to come. The forum itself may be an opportunity for about 300 student-athletes from all across the country to learn more about being an athletics coach or administrator, but by the end of the weekend, everyone can assert that that is not the only thing that was learned. Before being able to show exactly how it impacted my life, I would have to tell you why I wanted to attend the forum.

Just a few short years ago, there was a girl from the south side of Chicago who decided to attend a big university in Philadelphia; a university where she would know no one else prior to attending, but that did not get in her way. This girl was also determined to be a member of said university's Cross Country/Track and Field programs. That girl was me.? Realistically, the tendencies for me to care about the well-being of my peers, to work to improve the experience of others, and to connect with many people were first brought forth through competing as an athlete in elementary and high school. Upon arriving at Temple University, these tendencies had a chance to grow even further through a nomination to the University's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). In the past two years, my experience as a SAAC representative has given me the opportunity to represent not only my team, but other student-athletes to our administration, government officials in Harrisburg, conference officials as a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference SAAC, and NCAA staff. It was through the interactions with people who serve as members of the aforementioned institutions that I knew I wanted to work to improve the student-athlete experience, as both scholars and athletes.

Upon arriving to the hotel, I had no idea what to expect, but attending the forum with others from my school helped to ease some apprehension. Once checked in and registered, we had the time to grab some lunch and mix and mingle with other participants who had already arrived. Later that afternoon, following the opening session that outlined further details about the forum, the large group of about 300 student-athletes had the chance to separate into their color teams. The forum was divided into eight color teams, facilitated by professionals from differing universities, conferences, and even the NCAA. The smaller teams helped to create an intimate setting that was better for sharing and more in-depth learning and exploration. Each team not only had people who were interested in different career paths (a combination of people who wanted to be coaches and administrators), but there was also a level of diversity in the sports represented in the rooms.

The first day was jam-packed with information, capped off by a dinner and large group session with DeNita Turner, President and CEO of Image Builders, Inc. Turner shared one of the most motivating of speeches, in terms of discussing what it truly means to make a first impression or to put your best foot forward. Learning from her about personal and professional conduct, the transition from being a student-athlete to the business of athletics, as well as some proper networking/interviewing skills were among the wisdom she shared that was beneficial for not only the rest of the forum but life after the forum, as well. However, the thing I will remember most about Turner is her confidence in her own brand and ideas, which was exemplified when she told the crowd her story highlighted by the phrase, ?You don't know me, but you need me.? Turner said these words to the right person early on in her career and they helped get her to where she is today. Most importantly, Turner helped to show that other than the athletes, there is an expansive network of people behind the scenes to help make the sports industry the enterprise that it is.

Day two was about exploring careers in the sports industry. With two main panel sessions, one on the ?big picture? of intercollegiate athletics and the other on alternative careers in sports, participants were able to explore careers besides coaches or the typical administrators involved with athletics departments on university campuses. Day three provided more insight into our specific interest. Participants were split into smaller groups of their interests: coaching track individuals were broken up by their sport and administrative track individuals were spread across four different groups of administrative professionals.?

The administrative track breakdown provided the opportunity to learn about actual campus and conference positions. My group, headed by a D3 Assistant Athletic Director and Sports Information Director, a D2 Associate Vice President for Athletics, a D1 Assistant Director for Marketing and Media Relations, and a D1 Associate Athletic Director for Student-Athlete Well-Being and Development provided an expansive view of what it was like to work behind the scenes in student-athlete development and promotions across all levels. Not only did I get a chance to learn about the positions available at different campuses and in different conferences, I had a chance to learn about the differences between the ways the divisions of the NCAA work, and discover what are the advantages and disadvantages of working at each level.?

During the session, we had the chance to ask as many questions as we wanted to the professionals standing before us. One of the things that stood out the most to me was what Associate VP for Athletics of Dowling College, Melody Cope, and Associate AD for Student-Athlete Well-Being and Development at Indiana University, Mattie White, had to say about their own education. White, who has pursued higher education to a tee and hopes to finish her PhD program in the coming semesters shared the tale of getting funding for higher education while Cope shared that the pursuit of higher education is one thing she wished she had taken advantage of, especially since it has been offered to her at every institution for which she has worked.? Knowing that graduate school is a step I plan to take, hearing what they had to say was very important to me. After not only talking with my administrative facilitators, I had the chance to talk to my Pink team facilitators for quite some time about graduate school. Alison and Eddie were not only willing to talk to me about what to look for in programs of interests, but they were willing to share the stories of their individual path and some secrets of the trade, too.

With Sunday came the closing to the forum, but certainly not the closing to our journey as future athletics professionals. Being in attendance provided me with the opportunity to network and build connections with athletes, administrators, and current sports industry professionals. I was able to make connections with university, conference, and NCAA national office staff members that have changed my life and have helped me to realize ways that I will be able to impact the lives of my fellow student-athletes at both an institutional and conference level as a leader and member of SAAC. I was able to learn so much about the industry that I am a member of and hope to work for someday, but I was also able to learn about myself and how to interact better with people who may be different from me in order to create a well performing and cohesive workspace (quick plug for the DISC assessments!).

As I have stated to the participants and facilitators with whom I have kept in touch, I will forever be indebted to the NCAA for all of the opportunities that the institution has afforded for me as a student-athlete, and now as a soon-to-be intercollegiate athletics professional. If I had the chance, I would do the experience all over again in a heartbeat. I am now able to make informed decisions about where I want to go for graduate school, what type of position I would like to pursue, and most importantly, I now have a whole slew of athletics professionals to service as mentors, confidants, and connections to help me realize my dreams.

Kacper Rams

Before coming to Indianapolis, I had no expectations regarding what I was going to learn. Also, I didn't know exactly how the NCAA Career in Sports Forum could help me in developing my career after graduating from college. On the other hand, I was aware about the opportunity to meet a lot of outstanding student-athletes from all around the country and from variety of different sports. I knew that I would be able to listen to great speakers from the sports industry.? These speakers, who are some of the best in this field, would be able to help me learn more about possible career paths for me in the future. As the days in Indianapolis were passing by, I realized that the NCAA Career in Sports Forum is not about what was prepared for us, but more about what we are able to take away from it. This whole experience proved to me that our mentors, coaches and friends can only offer us opportunities, but they can't do things for us.? Our life is in our hands. Therefore, it is important to be ready for and open to the opportunities, and to do your best once you get this chance.

All the participants were divided into smaller discussion groups, which were meant to enable deeper exploration into the topics presented by the speakers. Our team facilitators encouraged us to speak up, ask questions and express any concerns regarding the things speakers were talking about. The atmosphere was very warm and friendly, creating a great environment for discussion and useful answers. The smaller groups also created an opportunity for us to talk about our strengths and weaknesses, or as the NCAA staff calls them, ?opportunities to advance?.? I found it very helpful because having someone else evaluate me as a person, employee, or athlete, creates a totally different insight from the way I perceive myself. The small group workshops also helped me to realize what I need to work on in order to better communicate with others and to improve my skills in various academic and business areas.

The most important take-away for me from this forum were the expressions, ?be great?, ?be humble?, and ?fail, never quit?. Speakers day by day were emphasizing the need for us to try our best. Though all of the speakers were great, the most influential person for me was Bruce Clint, former Navy Seal and football player at the Naval Academy, who currently is running his own training company. He continuously stressed the importance of purpose in everyone's life.? He reinforced his idea by proving that it is better to ask ?why? not ?what.? He said that purpose is the key to being happy and successful in the business world because if you know why you are doing certain things, you will give your very best, every single time. Bruce's speech was very inspirational, and I am sure that he greatly influenced a lot of people in the audience.

Beside terrific speakers and useful workshops, networking with other student-athletes was a significant part of this forum. Interacting with them was very educational because you could trade stories with a lot of interesting people whose life experience was much different than yours. It was interesting to listen to what other students-athletes do during their seasons, what their competitions are like, and how college life differs in other parts of the United States.

The NCAA Career in Sports Forum was a great overall experience, and I would encourage anyone who is interested to attend. It is a great place to overcome difficulties in terms of communicating with other people. Communication is a skill that needs to be worked on in order to perfect it, but the hard work really pays off. It is also the best place to meet with outstanding new people who you would not have had the chance to interact with otherwise, and it creates relationships that can be beneficial in the future. Therefore, this forum can really help in developing one's career path after graduation and in finding out more about ourselves in order to be more successful in both our personal and business lives.

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