Photo by: All Pro Photography/Dale Sparks
Pathway to New Experiences
July 31, 2018 10:29 AM | Baseball, Football, Men's Basketball, Women's Basketball, Women's Soccer, Volleyball, Wrestling
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - Though West Virginia University's fall semester does not officially begin until Aug. 15, a few Mountaineers spent the month of July hitting the books, as freshmen student-athletes attended the WVU Athletic Department's Summer Bridge program.
Under the direction of Tangela Cheatham, WVU's Director of NCAA Life Skills Programing, the Summer Bridge program was a three-week course presented to freshmen student-athletes on campus this summer, including newcomers from baseball, men's and women's basketball, football, women's soccer, volleyball and wrestling.
"The purpose of Summer Bridge is to help the student-athletes become acclimated to West Virginia University and learn what it means to be a student, as well as a student-athlete," Cheatham explained.
The student-athletes first gathered on June 29 for a fun ice breaker, which included a scavenger hunt around WVU's Downtown Campus, as well as a pizza and ice cream social. The group then met five more times throughout the month of July for presentations from different athletic department and University staffs, such as the athletic sport administrators and trainers, as well as the WVU Office of Student Conduct and Title IX through the Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
"We really wanted to expose our student-athletes to many of the staffs who will be advocating on their behalf throughout their time at WVU," Cheatham said. "There are so many resources available, and we wanted to present them with some of the key areas in the short time span of Summer Bridge. We will continue the education throughout the year, but we wanted to give them a strong start to their tenure as Mountaineers."
An etiquette dinner on July 18, presented by the WVU Career Services Center and catered by Sodexo, capped the three-week course. Following the lesson, the Mountaineer student-athletes were presented certificates by Director of Athletics Shane Lyons.
"The etiquette dinner was very educational for the student-athletes because we learned how to use proper manners, eat with class and represent ourselves and the University at formal dinners," freshman football player James Gmiter said. "We learned what silverware and glasses to use at what time – it was very useful information."
"Our goal within the WVU NCAA Life Skills Program is to bring resources and information to our student-athletes without giving them more responsibility during their competitive seasons," Cheatham concluded. "So many of our teams are on campus in the summer, and there's a lot of downtime. We want to maximize that time with this introductory program.
"We want our student-athletes to be integral members of the University and we want them to interact with each other. With the Summer Bridge Program, we're able to close the gap for these student-athletes and help them make connections. It's great to have a friend who understands your unique situation as a student-athlete and who also is removed from your team dynamic."
Under the direction of Tangela Cheatham, WVU's Director of NCAA Life Skills Programing, the Summer Bridge program was a three-week course presented to freshmen student-athletes on campus this summer, including newcomers from baseball, men's and women's basketball, football, women's soccer, volleyball and wrestling.
"The purpose of Summer Bridge is to help the student-athletes become acclimated to West Virginia University and learn what it means to be a student, as well as a student-athlete," Cheatham explained.
The student-athletes first gathered on June 29 for a fun ice breaker, which included a scavenger hunt around WVU's Downtown Campus, as well as a pizza and ice cream social. The group then met five more times throughout the month of July for presentations from different athletic department and University staffs, such as the athletic sport administrators and trainers, as well as the WVU Office of Student Conduct and Title IX through the Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
"We really wanted to expose our student-athletes to many of the staffs who will be advocating on their behalf throughout their time at WVU," Cheatham said. "There are so many resources available, and we wanted to present them with some of the key areas in the short time span of Summer Bridge. We will continue the education throughout the year, but we wanted to give them a strong start to their tenure as Mountaineers."
An etiquette dinner on July 18, presented by the WVU Career Services Center and catered by Sodexo, capped the three-week course. Following the lesson, the Mountaineer student-athletes were presented certificates by Director of Athletics Shane Lyons.
"The etiquette dinner was very educational for the student-athletes because we learned how to use proper manners, eat with class and represent ourselves and the University at formal dinners," freshman football player James Gmiter said. "We learned what silverware and glasses to use at what time – it was very useful information."
"Our goal within the WVU NCAA Life Skills Program is to bring resources and information to our student-athletes without giving them more responsibility during their competitive seasons," Cheatham concluded. "So many of our teams are on campus in the summer, and there's a lot of downtime. We want to maximize that time with this introductory program.
"We want our student-athletes to be integral members of the University and we want them to interact with each other. With the Summer Bridge Program, we're able to close the gap for these student-athletes and help them make connections. It's great to have a friend who understands your unique situation as a student-athlete and who also is removed from your team dynamic."
Players Mentioned
DL
/ FootballSteve Sabins | Feb. 16
Monday, February 16
Matthew Graveline | Feb. 16
Monday, February 16
Reese Bassinger | Feb. 9
Monday, February 09
Brodie Kresser | Feb. 9
Monday, February 09
