SANDUSKY, Ohio -- This past weekend, 32 GLIAC student-athletes traveled to Sandusky, Ohio for the 2015 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) retreat.
The student-athletes arrived at the Great Wolf Lodge early Sunday evening and wasted no time getting started. The first guest speaker was EKS Group founder and creator of The Financial Literacy Coach, Eric Smith.
Smith’s presentation included “The Money Game” series, an interactive program covering general financial concepts and principles. Some of the concepts included budgeting, investing, managing debt, and avoiding identity theft.
After dinner, the student athletes conducted their annual GLIAC SAAC meeting. The weekend provided a great opportunity for the student-athletes to discuss SAAC ideas implemented on campuses league wide. The student-athletes also held elections for the vacant vice president and secretary positions. The student-athletes wrapped up the Sunday evening festivities with a competitive tennis ball relay race.
On Monday morning, the student-athletes interacted with One Love Foundation representative, Jakyln Van Manen, as she presented a powerful and emotionally engaging Escalation workshop. This workshop covered the issues and risks of relationship violence. Van Manen made the student-athletes aware of signs to look in spotting abusive behavior in relationships. Following the workshop, the student-athletes became facilitators of the One Love Foundation and gained useful information to take back and pass along to their campuses.
After Monday’s lunch, the student-athletes found themselves face-to-face with GLIAC Supervisors of Officials Bill Gomoluch and Rob Doss, and participated in an informative Q&A session. The officials touched on the need for young officials and how former student-athletes can make some of the best officials. Gomoluch and Doss explained how officiating is a great way to stay connected with athletics while earning steady income. Following the Q&A, the student-athletes enjoyed some down time at the Great Wolf Lodge indoor water park for the remainder of the day.
On the final day of the SAAC retreat, the student-athletes enjoyed one more guest speaker. With many of our attendees on pace to graduate, Jamie Fluker from Growth Inspirations Consulting Services helped prepare the student-athletes for life after sports. Fluker stressed that eventually their playing career would come to an end and taught helpful strategies for their individual successes off the playing field. She explained the importance of goal setting, networking and making sure to take the necessary steps to complete those goals.
Overall, the GLIAC SAAC Retreat with a focus on “Life After Sports” proved to be a success. The student-athletes believe it was a beneficial event and look forward to carrying the skills learned from all the guest speakers back to their campuses.