Five of our varsity student athletes - Gabe M., Sophia P., Ronan C., Penny S. and Sophia D. - headed to SUNY Geneseo earlier this month for Section V’s annual Student Leadership Training program. 

Our students participated in some cooperation games with SUNY Geneseo athletes, then heard presentations on mindfulness from Erica Ebert and responsible social media use from Scott Fitch. 

Junior Penny S. said she was struck by Fitch’s comments on team culture-building. 

“He talked about how everyone wants to have a good team culture but nobody actually wants to do the actions and things to make that culture good. He talked about how when he joined the SUNY Geneseo basketball team, the team usually didn't high five each other or congratulate each other for things like assists and rebounds,” said Penny. “He went on to talk about how he would always do it and always high five his teammates and by the end of the season everyone was doing that, completely changing the culture just by a simple high five and words of appreciation and encouragement. It showed me how fast team culture can be positively impacted just by something so simple, as well as how fast team culture can be negatively changed by something simple too.”

Fitch also sought to underscore the importance of carrying such behaviours off the sports field, into everyday life, said Sophia P.

“Whether it's inviting someone who's sitting alone to sit with you at your lunch table or complimenting someone, he gave us some great, real-world examples of how to be a leader,” said Sophia, also a junior. “During Ms. Ebert’s presentation, I was really intrigued when she talked about her seven-day cleanse where she can't talk, read, use her phone, or really do anything except be in the moment through mindfulness. I thought it was pretty interesting and I give her a lot of credit for being able to do that!”

Photo courtesy of Andy Englert