If I was the SUU athletic Director for a Day.

If I was the SUU athletic director for a day the first thing that I would do is I would reinstate the baseball program. Coming to SUU I was excited to go to baseball games, but then learning they did not have one stung. I think that every school should have a baseball team. It is America’s Pastime after all. Reading about the baseball team was saddening because SUU’s team was very good. I feel like bringing back the team would be awesome for the school. I would want to reinstate the team. While the team would not have immediate success, I would hope that with the return of the baseball team, players would come to SUU. Another thing that I would do would be to help out the hockey team. Since SUU’s hockey team is so new I would want to promote the heck out of it, I believe that if SUU marketed the hockey team they could get some good crowds. Along those lines, the basketball team struggles with attendance. I would want to market the team more, It seems like other than football games our sports teams do not have great crowds. I feel like a lot of that is marketing or the lack of exposer. Set up banners, fliers, and ads all around campus. One of the biggest ways to increase attendance is to have a competitive team,. The basketball team has struggled and that is a major factor why the attendance is low.

Would I allow my kids to play football

One of the biggest questions in youth sports is should kids be allowed to play tackle football. In a recent study Pop Warner Football participation has been going down for years. If my kids wanted to play football I would absolutely let them. I played football for one year in high school and it was an amazing experience. A football team is more than a team. They are a big family. All sports, especially football teach kids valuable life lessons. I think football is a great sports for kids. Sure start them out in flag, but as they get older let them play Pop Warner. I wish I would have played Pop Warner. If we are going to stop kids from playing sports because of injuries then kids should only be allowed to play tennis and golf. Kids at that age simply are not hitting hard enough to do a lot of real damage. Also every year helmets are getting better. If Pop Warner should be banned then what is the right age for tackle? While I understand the concern with head injuries, we have to let kids play. Let them get dirty. It’s a sport. Look at the NFL, they are trying to make the game safer and look what it’s doing. Did you watch the Packers Vikings game (don’t even get me started). I think if kids want to play Pop Warner they should be allowed to. What about soccer? Soccer has a huge concussion issue because of headers. Should we eliminate headers? Should kids not play soccer? Another huge issue with getting rid of Pop Warner is that kids won’t be taught how to tackle at a young age. The great thing about Pop Warner is that the coaches teach the kids how and how not to tackle. I think getting rid of Pop Warner hurts kids more than it keeps them safe.

My most embarrassing sports moment

I was never the most athletic kid. I was never very fast or that tall. Sports were always fun, but challenging. I was never really good at organized sports. I was okay, but never great. While I don’t have too many embarrassing moments, one for sure sticks out. I played football in high school my freshman year. I played for one year and then I stopped. We were in practice and I was playing linebacker in team drills. I got absolutely lit up by one of the tight ends. He was a lot bigger than I was so it was not a fun rep. I got hit, everyone on the team did the typical “OOOOOO” after any big hit. I was not that embarrassed at first, that stuff happens, but it gets a bit embarrassing when he makes it a point to say something every time he saw me for the rest of practice.That got old real quick. The hit wasn’t really that hard. I mean it didn’t feel great and I hit the turf real quick. but I popped right back up. I felt fine. It was certainly not a fun experience, but I learned that I can take a hit. As far as embarrassing stories go, mine isn’t horrible, which I am grateful for. The thing that happened with me happens if you play football.

My Favorite Coach

My favorite coach was my high school golf coach. I worked with him freshman-junior year. He was also my english teacher for two years. He was one of my favorites because of bow he treated us. He always treated us with respect, but was also tough. He did not want us messing around when we were at the course or at the range. During rounds he would either be playing with us or riding around in a cart for matches. He would always ask us how we were doing. Usually I would reply with, “Not great, alright, or the occasional GOOD!” He was always there to support us and if we ever needed help, to help us. Those three years were the most enjoyable. My first year was a bit tough because so many of the guys on my team were so so good. It was a struggle. I was on the bottom of team scoring a fair amount, but I kept going. He was a big part of that. He always helped me keep my head up. No matter how poor or well I was playing he tried to keep me level headed. That is difficult because I can be very hard on myself. The issue with golf is that if you get too frustrated, angry, or low on yourself you are screwed for the round. You can’t really recover. If you are playing well and confident that usually carries. It is all about your mindset. My golf coach always helped me remember that, which has helped to this day.