PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Two student-athletes and a coach from Southern Vermont College were given the opportunity in November to attend the National Collegiate Athletic Association Student-Athlete Leadership Forum along with 350 other student-athletes from the northeast.
Baseball junior captain Chris Nicastro (Cranford, N.J.) and women’s basketball sophomore captain Amber Flagg (Windsor, Conn.) were identified as leaders on their campus and traveled to Providence with head baseball coach Dave Gage to participate in one of the largest non-competitive gatherings of NCAA student-athletes as representatives of SVC.
The Leadership Forum was designed for student-athletes to discuss key issues collectively and provide them with an opportunity to enhance personal awareness and leadership skills needed to positively impact their development at the campus and conference levels, as well as beyond the collegiate realm.
In addition to hearing guest speakers including Chris Herren, former NBA player and founder of Hoops Dreams with Chris Herren and the Herren Project who spoke about decision-making, participants were involved in small group discussions about a variety of topics such as: behavioral styles, branding, social media, decision-making, emotional intelligence and values. This helped the student-athletes become more effective leaders and motivators for when they returned to the SVC campus.
“It was a great experience to learn from leaders across the country,” commented Coach Gage. “I learned how to interact with other leadership styles and personalities, which I think is a valuable trait to have as a coach.” Gage attended as a student back in 2009.
During the annual forum, participants also learned from peer representatives on the NCAA National Student-Athlete Advisory Committees as well as NCAA governance staff to gain a better understanding of the NCAA association-wide and division-specific structures and committees. During these sessions, participants learned about the NCAA legislative process and discussed current hot topics.