USU Student Athletes Enjoying Giving Back To Community

LOGAN, Utah - Utah State basketball player Jaycee Carroll is one of the most requested Aggie student-athletes invited to speak at elementary schools and when it fits in his schedule he is eager to give back to the community.

 

"For me, it is fun to be able to go out in the community and be around the people who support us and cheer for us," Carroll said. "I think it is a part of being a student-athlete and a great opportunity to be a good role model. I like being around the kids and having them ask questions."

 

He is not alone however, as nearly all of Utah State's student-athletes from each of the school's 16 sports take part in more than 50 community events each year.

 

Student-Athlete Services Academic Advisor and Life Skills Coordinator Amy Crosbie, who oversees the Aggie Ambassador program, says it is easy to get student-athletes to participate.

 

"Their time is very limited with class, lifting weights, practice and study hall, but all I have to do is make a phone call and if they have the time, they jump at the opportunity," she said.

 

Recently, basketball player Durrall Peterson spoke to students at River Heights Elementary in Providence about sportsmanship. He then played with the kids during recess.

 

"It is great to be able to do this," Peterson said. "It is nice to have their attention and to be able to get a message across to them because they listen to you. It is also great for us. A lot of the kids didn't recognize my face, but they knew my name. As soon as I told them who I was, there was a lot of cheering and that makes you feel good. Really, I just like getting out and doing good deeds."

 

Head football coach Brent Guy's players participate in at least one project each semester. Recently they were involved in raising money for Ryan's Place, a new park inspired by the loss of two-year old Ryan Adams of River Heights.

 

Team members will also be involved in the annual Walk a Mile, which is a campus event designed to raise awareness about violence against women. The players are also involved in helping Special Olympics as well as working with the Boys and Girls Clubs among other activities.

 

"I feel strongly about having the kids give back to the community because of the support we receive," Guy said. "We like our players to be involved with school kids, especially elementary age kids because it helps reinforce that the players are role models. They realize that when they are signing autographs and having those kids look up to them."

 

On Friday, April 6, the National Consortium for Academics and Sports (NCAS), will celebrate the 20th celebration of STUDENT-Athlete Day. National STUDENT-Athlete Day is America's day to celebrate outstanding student-athletes who have achieved excellence in academics and athletics while having made significant contributions to the community. It is also a time to recognize those parents, teachers, coaches and school systems which make it possible for young people to find the balance between academics and athletics.

 

The USU student-athletes will be holding a semi-formal spring social this Saturday. The students pay to go with the money being used to support former Aggie gymnast Katie Rutherford's program called Dollars For Change.

 

Rutherford, a gymnast at USU from 2002-04, created a non-profit organization to raise money to help put an end to world poverty. Her Dollars For Change is a simple plan that calls for a one dollar donation from each person.

 

In addition to the money being raised from the event, USU's different varsity sports will be raising additional money for the program during the week.

 

In addition to giving back to the community, USU student-athletes continue to have great success in the classroom. Utah State leads the WAC with a graduation rate of 78 percent. Its graduation rate also exceeds the average for division I schools. Aggie student-athletes also exceed the minimum 2.0 GPA requirement for NCAA participation with an average composite GPA of 3.07.

 

This past fall, USU once again led the conference in academic all-conference selections with 42 players named to the teams. Among them were six student-athletes, who also earned all-conference athletic honors.