Bowling Green State University Athletics
Kandice Machain To Represent BGSU At NCAA Conference
May 25, 2001 | Softball
May 25, 2001
The fifth annual NCAA Foundation Leadership Conference will be held May 28-June 1, 2001 at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. Approximately 300 student-athletes from NCAA CHAMPS/Life Skills Programs will participate.
Kandice Machain, who recently completed her sophomore season as a member of the Bowling Green State University softball team, will represent her school at the conference.
Selection of participants was made by a committee comprised of CHAMPS/Life Skills coordinators from NCAA member institutions as well as student-athletes charged with identifying an outstanding group of leaders which is diverse with respect to gender, ethnicity, race, sport, and experience.
The mission of the 2001 NCAA Foundation Leadership Conference is to develop a diverse group of student-athletes who will actively participate in and experience a multitude of challenging and thought-provoking activities that will enable them to become change agents on their campuses and in their communities.
As a result of participation, student-athletes will enhance the following: communication skills, decision-making and problem-solving skills, critical-thinking skills, collaborative skills, listening skills, networking skills, planning and priority setting, ability to reflect, political skills (e.g., how to make a difference), understanding of and appreciation for the value of working with a group, and understanding and appreciation for diversity.
Student-athletes should also expect to: build a long-lasting network of future leaders, be confident agents of change, be better able to address issues that are critical to student-athletes on campus, complete a self-directed project to address a critical issue facing the campus, share their experience with the campus student-athlete advisory committee and other campus leaders.
Team building and leadership games will balance issue discussions and team learning sessions.
Machain, a native of Tucson, Ariz., hit .233 in the 2001 season. The leftfielder batted .323 in Mid-American Conference games. In Machain's two years with the Falcons, BGSU has posted an overall record of 68-37, including a MAC mark of 32-12.
Program History
In conjunction with the CHAMPS/Life Skills Program, the NCAA Foundation in 1996 created the NCAA Foundation Leadership Conference. The mission of the conference is to provide a diverse group of the nation's top student-athletes an opportunity to actively participate in challenging and thought-provoking activities that will enable them to become better leaders on their campuses and in their communities.
The conference is an outgrowth of the successful CHAMPS/Life Skills Program and involves up to 350 student-athletes representing CHAMPS/Life Skills colleges and universities as well as the national Student-Athlete Advisory Committees. Each institution nominates four student-athletes who have demonstrated an ability or strong desire to be leaders and would benefit from a significant leadership experience. In order to be eligible, applicants must be in good academic standing and must have athletics eligibility remaining in the following academic year.
As a result of participation, student-athletes will enhance their communication skills, decision-making and problem-solving skills, critical-thinking skills and collaborative skills. The conference also promotes better communication among student-athletes, coaches, administrators, faculty and communities. Topics for past conferences have included developing leadership skills, changing perception, developing political skills and utilizing the student-athlete committee.
The inaugural conference sponsored by Entergy Corporation and Walt Disney World Sports was held in May 1997 in Orlando, Fla.
(Information courtesy of the NCAA web site [www.ncaa.org])
