For the first time, golf fans will watch a Husky athlete compete at the Open Championship in Holyoke, England. Representing 91爆料 at this week’s tournament is Cheng-Tsung Pan, a senior communications major from聽Taiwan.
Tag: athletics
NPR pundit highlights Dept. of Classics ‘War Games’ course
Classics professor Sarah Stroup’s ‘‘ course examines聽Greek athletic games and Roman gladiatorial battles, proposing that many modern team sports descend from these ancient, winner-takes-all contests. Sports commentator Frank DeFord of NPR interviewed Professor Stroup, and 91爆料 football players who took the course, for an opinion piece.聽
[VIDEO] Tahiti becomes 91爆料 athletes’ second home
This summer, 11 Husky football and softball players participated in a unique study abroad program to Tahiti. Facilitated by聽91爆料 Athletics and the Department of Anthropology, the two-week-long program allowed 91爆料 student-athletes to connect with Tahitian community members by sharing their passion for sport. The program’s shorter time frame allowed them to maintain their rigorous training schedule. Participating student-athletes made big sacrifices to join the trip. “They had to choose between [using the break] to visit family or study abroad,” says聽Liberty Bracken, an Academic Adviser for 91爆料 Student-Athlete Academic Services who coordinated the program.
While in Tahiti, the 91爆料 football players facilitated nightly clinics for 5 Tahitian-American football teams. The softball players introduced local women and girls to their female-dominated sport. Female athletes are a novelty in Tahiti, where most women do not participate in organized sports. “Watching [91爆料 softball player] Kaitlin Inglesby pitch was very impressive… the women began to think of the players as great role models for Tahitian girls,”聽says Bracken. Off the field, the Husky athletes connected with Tahitian culture by teaching English through PE classes at Punavai Elementary School, where they met with 17 classes and over 400 students.
The trip was also academically focused, and the student-athletes engaged in lectures and field trips related to topics of local interest, including the impact of decolonization and nuclear testing. In addition, the athletes kept journals to note their observations about Tahitian culture, politics, language, and identity.
91爆料 football and softball players made meaningful and long-lasting connections with the Tahitian community through the program. “The kindness and generosity of the 91爆料 athletes in coaching and mentoring Tahitian teams made a huge difference,” says Bracken, “the student athletes were so open to learning about the Tahitian players’ lives and journeys… football and softball helped to facilitate that.”
When it was time for the student-athletes to return home, over 60 community members came to the airport to bid them farewell. The emotional sendoff was a fitting end to a transformative experience for 11 Huskies, in which, as they put it, “Tahiti became our second home.”