Athletes honored with weekly award

As a way to increase recognition for student athletes, Sports Information Director Al Weston has created the GCSU Athlete of the Week Program.
“It’s a great way to recognize our student athletes and get some media coverage for their efforts,” Weston said. “What I do is, after nominating students for the Peach Belt Conference awards, combine the names and e-mail the ballot to the local media and the athletic department for a vote.”
The e-mail contains a description of the previous week’s game and spotlights a key player, whether it was the top scorer or the one with the game-changing performance. Because of the current overlap between Winter and Spring sports, there are many deserving athletes, creating a full ballot.
Having established a similar program at Lock Haven University in Pennsylvania, a Division II school, Weston sees it as an easy, yet effective, way to promote both the athletics programs and its students.
“We’re getting a good response,” Weston said. “Some reporters from The Union-Recorder really get into it, asking why so-and-so didn’t win.”
One of the only rules is that coaches can’t vote for their own players. Steve Barsby, head men’s and women’s tennis coach, really appreciates Weston’s efforts and likes the idea of voting outside one’s own sport.
“It’s a good chance for other coaches to learn more about other athletes that play,” Barsby said. “We get so busy with our season, but an e-mail is a great way to read about other athletes and learn what’s going on.”
Jay Johnson, a graduate assistant athletic trainer who works with the baseball team, also thinks the program is a creative way to give credit to athletes.
“We have one of the strongest teams in the conference and one of the strongest conferences in the nation, so giving recognition to our athletes is always a good thing,” Johnson says.
Johnson gets a weekly vote and says that it is always a difficult decision.
“It is hard to choose because I’m with baseball and sometimes have a bias,” Johnson said. “But I like to look at the stats because I know a lot of the athletes and the amount of their hard work.”
The GCSU Athlete of the Week program has already recognized three students. Senior Justin Mills represented Bobcat baseball and was followed by junior Aaron Clark from the men’s basketball team. Erick Siqueira, a tennis player, was named the Athlete of the Week for the week ending Feb. 18.
Siqueira, a sophomore exercise science major, won 6 matches last week, 3 singles and 3 doubles with his partner senior Rodrigo Yamauti.
“I think of (the award) as an encouragement to work hard and to know people see your hard work brings a good energy,” Siqueira claims. “I just hope the team as a whole does well. That’s more important than just 1 or 2 players doing well. The team should be connected because we can’t work separately.”
Barsby is proud of his athlete and is happy with the GSCU Athlete of the Week program. Barbsy loves sharing the sentiment of the other coaches whose athletes have been nominated.
“It’s exciting to see that other coaches can see what he’s doing and know it is good,” Barsby said.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Mar 2 2007. Filed under Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry