Wingate, N.C.----When I was little, I loved going to camps where college players gave us instruction. I remember holding on to every word they said so that I could get better and be just like them one day. Talk to any collegiate student-athlete and they will probably tell you they had the same experience growing up. Now that dream has come true for us…recently, the Wingate University softball team had the privilege of working with young girls at a hitting clinic on our campus.
This is such a great opportunity for us to give back and make the same impact on the girls who attended that the players before made on us. From a personal standpoint, this is an opportunity I look forward to every year. I love to see the pure joy on these young girls’ faces; they are thrilled just to be around college athletes. To them, we are superstars, which is a reminder to us…someone is always watching what we are doing and we never want to do anything that could negatively impact these young ladies.
The parents and the campers probably think that it is only the young girls who get something out of the clinic, but they do not realize how much joy we get from working with these young athletes. It also gives us a chance to slow down and really think about the little things we do. I am a firm believer in the ‘you have to give it to get it’ philosophy; when you teach something, it gives you much more insight and knowledge to what you are doing. I know for me, I had to sit down and plan out what I would do with the slappers and break down what I do day in and day out and pack it all into two hours.
We hope that the girls who came to the clinic will continue to come around and let us work with them. We all love this game and some of these young ladies might be the future of this program…helping out now will ultimately help lead to the future success in this program. This clinic was the most fun clinic I have worked yet and the athletes who attended did a great job. It was a pleasure working with them. As a team, we look forward to the next time we can work with these young ladies and give back to the community.
WINGATE UNIVERSITY
Founded in 1896, Wingate University is a comprehensive university with more than 2,500 students on three campuses in Wingate, Matthews and Hendersonville, N.C. The university offers 34 undergraduate majors, 37 minors and career concentrations, numerous pre-professional programs, graduate degrees in business, accounting, physician assistant studies and sports administration and doctorates in pharmacy and education.
Wingate students gain the tools and support they need to excel in academics and apply that learning toward an extraordinary career and life. The campus community offers in-class learning, out-of-class experiences, strong mentors, a competitive yet caring environment and rewarding community service opportunities for a complete educational experience.
Bulldog student-athletes compete in 19 NCAA Division II sports. Wingate University has won the South Atlantic Conference Echols Athletic Excellence Award for the past five years.
Wingate University is ranked number three among NCAA Division II Academic All-America® producing schools in the 2000’s with 42 honorees during this millennium. Only Pittsburg State (Kan.) University and Truman State (Mo.) University have produced more Academic All-America® honorees during this time period. Wingate’s 51 Academic All-America® honorees (lifetime) is tops among all SAC schools.
