saac News - November, 2012 Archive

St. Lawrence University's "Power of Pink" week - a week of events coordinated by student-athletes to raise funds in support of breast cancer awareness - raised $5,400, which students gave to the Gouverneur Business Women.

The Gouverneur Business Women assist families in the North Country with expenses related to screening for and treatment of breast cancer. In the three years that the athletes have been conducting the events, about $18,800 has been raised, in total.

While there were many notable events held the weekend of November 2nd, at St. Lawrence University, none was as exciting as the student-athlete advisory committee as the "All Campus Pep Rally" which kicked off the 2012 Homecoming Weekend events. This year, the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee volunteered to help kick off the weekend by assisting with the event which was held in Burkman Gymnasium. Hundreds of people packed the gymnasium as Sports Information co-Director Joe Kenniston built up positive momentum and excitement throughout the evening. Former Men's Ice Hockey Coach Joe Marsh and current Director of Athletics Margie Strait also spoke at the event. The rally included a tug of war competition as well as a "pub" cookie eating contest.

On September 26th, St. Lawrence University Student-Athletes attended a speaker presentation featuring Tim Wierman. Mr. Wierman is a Nationally recognized Speaker who holds a Masters Degree in Nutrition Education and is a member of the American Dietetic Association. He has presented to thousands of athletes, coaches, parents and sports medicine professionals at more than 270 colleges, high schools, clubs, and professional conferences, to discuss proper diet and nutrition. 

While the presentation at St. Lawrence University was well attended, Mr. Wierman focused on various topics such as pre game/ post game meals, proper hydration and importance of a proper diet. " It was a unique experience as it was a really good reminder of simple and effective techniques to remind the athletes about nutrition", Elisa VanKirk- Head Women's Softball Coach. The following morning Tim held 3 general workshops specifically for endurance athletes, power athletes and sports involving both.

In early September, The Student-Athlete Development Program coordinated with academic support services in holding a time management seminar for first year student-athletes. The seminar had been designed to enhance study skills and provide useful tips while balancing student-athletes' pursuit of academic excellence with their commitment to athletics. While the seminar was well attended, Dr. Evelyn Jennings, along with Matt McCluskey and Janet Torres, presented on various aspects of successful useful study tips.

After a 20 minute presentation the student-athletes interacted amongst each other and the coaches, while walking through a time management exercise. "While the adjustment from high school to college can at times be challenging, we have been fortunate enough to build a strong relationship and collaborate with academic support services in order to provide useful resources for our student-athletes."- Franco Bari- Coordinator of Student-Athlete Development/ Head Women's Soccer coach.