While Colorado College may seem somewhat insulated from its SCAC brethren in the Rocky Mountains, the Tigers joined forces with their fellow SCAC schools at the 2016 NCAA Convention. Sophomore Justin Nguyen, juniors Maddie Cahill-Sanidas and Stefani Messick, and senior McQuella Adams represented CC at the convention, which was held in San Antonio. The convention is held every year, but this year marked one of the first that CC sent student athletes deep into SCAC territory to participate directly in the proceedings. CC’s crew of four had their trips fully funded by an SCAC grant that aims to further involve female student athletes and minority student athletes.
Colorado College was outdone only by conference rival Trinity in the amount of student athletes that attended the convention. Trinity sent five student athletes to the convention, but CC’s four representatives made their voices heard in a variety of ways over the course of the three-day convention. Athletic Director Ken Ralph said, “For our students to have the opportunity to see the legislative process in action goes a long way towards demystifying the NCAA. Our students had the opportunity to participate in issues forums, attend educational sessions, and participate in the business session side-by-side with the top administrators in college sports”.
Thursday morning involved educational sessions and workshops catered to student athletes’ well-being after the days of college athletics. Topics discussed included mental health issues and tips on how to transition into the course of normal daily life after college. Nguyen said, “A lot of student athletes think you need to exercise for three hours a day to be healthy, but really you just need to walk for 30 minutes.”
Thursday’s high point came at the Keynote luncheon when former U.S Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice spoke to the thousands of administrators and student athletes gathered in downtown San Antonio. She may seem like a figure that is far removed from the world of sports, but unknown to many college football fans, Rice is actually a voting member on the NCAA Division I Playoff Selection Committee.
Two main events served as a crucible for discussion and student involvement from CC’s contingency. Thursday evening included a roundtable and a general discussion of student athlete grievances and possible policy changes. Nguyen said, “Lots of other athletes from different schools complained about not being able to miss class and professors giving them zeros, but that’s not really an issue at CC.” Roundtable discussions also included talk of shortening the current NCAA season but Nguyen, along with his fellow Tigers, dismissed this idea. Nguyen said that across the board administrators, coaches, and players are all content with the current length of their seasons. Cahill-Sanidas, a member of the women’s tennis team at CC, said, “The administrators genuinely wanted to hear the student athlete experience, and how these proposals could aid or hinder our academic/athletic balance at school.”
The second event that involved a large amount of student involvement was the legislation proposal session. There were 10 legislative proposals that member schools were asked to vote on at the convention. One of the most hotly contested proposals was a measure that moved to allow coaches to connect with recruits on social media and announce verbal commitments on social media platforms. Greg Capell, the Associate Director of Athletics at CC, worked with the CC student athletes to eventually defeat the proposal on Friday.
While the convention did feature some serious talks and legislation, the student athletes also got to experience some once-in-a-lifetime moments. Dikembe Mutombo, the legendary Houston Rockets basketball player was in attendance and posed for photos with student athletes on Friday. Another highlight of the convention in Cahill-Sanidas’ opinion was the Honors Convention. Cahill-Sanidas said. “This was when the NCAA awarded stellar athletic and academic achievement. They also recognized athletes that had impacted society and serve as inspiration to their communities. It was an amazing experience and made me aware of the impact of athletics within a community.”
The weekend of educational sessions, business sessions, and legislative deliberation contributed to a greater sense of perspective for the CC student athletes. Cahill-Sanidas said, “I felt recognized and heard; this made me genuinely appreciate the opportunity we have at CC and the ability to make a difference in our athletics, as well as on campus.”
The CC contingency also impressed Ralph, who said, “I am so proud of the way our students represented not only themselves but also how they represented Colorado College and college athletes in general.”