Oct. 22, 2009
Center Valley, Pa. -- The Patriot League held its fourth annual Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) Fall Retreat in Philadelphia, Pa., from Oct. 3 through Oct. 4. Representatives from the Patriot League institutions met to discuss hot topics, share ideas and become involved in the NCAA legislative process.
Fourteen student-athletes came together on Saturday afternoon at the Downtown Marriott in Philadelphia to begin the two-day retreat.
Saturday's meeting focused on Patriot League Sportsmanship Awards and promoting good sportsmanship both on campus and throughout the Patriot League. The group learned about the importance the Patriot League places on good sportsmanship and about League-wide initiatives to promote sportsmanship, including the Patriot League Award of Good Sporting Conduct. SAAC representatives were asked to look out for acts of good sportsmanship throughout the year, and to report those acts to a campus administrator.
Each student gave updates on what they were on campus and within their communities to promote good sportsmanship and great leadership, which included working in writing programs with local elementary schools; donating time at food banks and hospitals; helping clean up the environment; and working with the Special Olympics and the local Boys-N-Girls Club
Julie Sterrett, from Lehigh University's Leadership Education program, met with the group on Sunday to conduct a leadership workshop with the student-athletes. She offered suggestions and educated the group on how to utilize those leadership tendencies, as well as how to cultivate leadership within each student-athlete's respective campus and team setting. The presentation was the highlight of the weekend, as the group engaged in communication exercises and discussions about various leadership characteristics.
The retreat also included a night of socializing as the group was able to get to know each other better on Saturday with a bowling outing at Lucky Strikes in Philadelphia.
Those in attendance at the 2009 Patriot League Fall SAAC Retreat were: American's Zack Solomon (National SAAC League Rep.), Dory Isaacs; Bucknell's Sherry Finkle and Shelly McCormack; Holy Cross' Laurie Noreika and Rachel Amaral; Lafayette's Bree Belmonte and Barbara Pennington; Lehigh's Julie Sterrett (Leadership Presenter), Julie Kuhns and Mark Ostapenko; Army's Erin Anthony and Annie Taft; Navy's KC Gordon and Tara Cutner; and the Patriot League's Patrick Muffley (Associate Director for Sports Management and Compliance).