Bowling Green State University Athletics
Tennis Falcons at NFL Boot Camp
May 23, 2013 | General, Women's Tennis
Nikki Chiricosta chronicles her experiences at the four-day event in BG
So there I was—a 20-year-old college student caught up in a spirited debate with a handful of former NFL players about the merits of LeBron James's ill-fated “Decision.” Wow. That's the only world that comes to mind when I reflect on my time volunteering at the NFL Sports Journalism and Communication Boot Camp. This lighthearted debate was just one of many highlights during my four-day stint at the Camp.
When my advisor suggested that I help out with the program, I was a little skeptical at first. Are 20 multi-millionaire NFL players really going to buckle down and be willing to learn? I, like most people, fall prey to stereotyping professional athletes. I figured that a lot of the players would be egotistical or use this as an opportunity to goof off. But as it turns out, I could not have been more wrong. Being athletes, I thought that they would be extremely competitive to a fault, but the guys came together as if they were on a team and worked as a single unit. They all gave one another tips and developed a lot of relationships that are sure to last beyond the four day camp.
It was evident from the moment that they arrived that these players were hungry to learn. I had the pleasure of working exclusively with four players: LaMar Campbell, Ellis Wyms, Eric Crouch, and Brendon Ayanbadejo. I was able to sit in on all of their sessions and I kept telling everyone that my group's desire to learn was unmatched.
As a student assistant, one of my main jobs was to make sure that the faculty instructors did not go over the time limit for the sessions because they were on a strict schedule. Despite giving several warnings that time was nearing, my group managed to go over the allotted time period every time because they were so engaged and asking a lot of questions. At first, I was frustrated because we kept going over the time limit and I did not want to get in trouble. By the second session, however, a growing consensus had developed among the student assistants: none of the players wanted to leave their sessions—they always spent 10 extra minutes in each session trying to milk the most out of each one.
So, the players' assignments varied from writing an opinion column to condensing those columns into a two-minute radio commentary. The players all proved that they had a skill that all businesses and professions should covet in former athletes: the ability to work well under pressure. The players were given only two hours to choose from the topics provided, research the topic, and then write an opinion piece. Later on that day, they had to find a way to pull the most important facts from their opinion column and weave that into a two-minute radio commentary. Talk about pressure.
Out of all the great things I was able to experience that week, I would have to say that my fondest memories will consist of the relationships that I formed with the players. We have all had disappointing experiences with professional athletes—namely, you meet them and they fail to meet the exalted hero image you held them to while watching their heroics on the court or the field. Not so here. Instead, these players were so outgoing and grounded that I almost forgot I was working with professional athletes.
One person that comes to mind is Byron Chamberlain. Byron and I didn't really interact much until the third day of the boot camp. We were just having a casual conversation until he decided to bring up a topic that I feel very strongly about: LeBron James and his infamous, ill-advised decision “to take [his] talents to South Beach”. Being an avid Cleveland sports fan, I couldn't resist the chance to give my opinion of the whole mess (and you can imagine what my feelings on the issue are). So, that triggered a 40-minute debate among Byron, me, and the entire back section of football players on the bus. Needless to say, this was a perfect example of how comfortable I felt around all of the players and how easy they were to talk to.
The team that put this together and the BGSU faculty members and athletic staff who helped make this event happen did a tremendous job. I can only hope that this event returns to BG next year. I also hope that the players who I got to work with and know will continue to pursue their dreams and “take their talents” into the broadcast booths and sports editorial pages around the country.
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