S PORTS
November 15,2013
11
Former Bobcats coach speaks on leadership, motivation at Athletics Forum
BY ADITYA GARG
"Dreams, kept in tender, tempted voice
within / Gently held and heralded like
family treasures found. Dreams / Heart's
music, chambered echo of nature's featured
struggle, composed and noted. Dreams..."
It is not often that a basketball coach
recites poetry in front of an audience of
athletes.
But that is exactly what former Charlotte
Bobcats head coach Mike Dunlap did as
he spoke at the second Guilford College
Athletics Forum Sunday evening.
"Yes, I believe in dreams," said Dunlap
in response to a question from an audience
member, senior football player Josh
Williams.
Dunlap spoke for approximately an
hour as part of a speaker's forum reserved
for Guilford student-athletes. The theme:
leadership.
He explained four key points to
becoming a good leader — a good work
ethic, the willingness to sacrifice more
pleasurable activities, the ability to deal
with discouragement and the ability to
handle outside influences.
Dunlap also warned of the side effects
of leadership.
"Leadership is a lonely trail," said
Dunlap. "You will often have to make
decisions that are unpopular.
"But how you react will be the
measurement of your strength."
Straying from the tradition of standing
at the podium, Dunlap paced across the
length of the room and prompted students
to ask questions.
"It was neat how he interacted with the
crowd and allowed questions throughout
his speech," said junior women's basketball
player Logan Hardin. "He really turned
the speech into a two-way forum."
Dunlap fielded a wide variety of
questions, the topics ranging from personal
obstacles to his coaching history.
"How do you motivate yourself?" asked
senior runner Andris Goncarovs.
Dunlap responded with another
question: "What motivates you — love
or fear? ... Fear of failure, or love of
achievement?"
He continued, "Every day, I get up in
the morning ... and think of what I do not
want to become ... you must channel your
fear into action."
Every coach is paranoid about his job
security, including Dunlap. He went on
to discuss the role of fear in his coaching
career.
"The hardest thing about coaching is
knowing that at any second, you can be
dismissed from your job," he said. "And
so, you have learn to let that fear go ...
and teach from your heart rather than your
mind."
The speech especially resonated with
former Wake Forest University basketball
head coach David Odom '65.
"The older that I have gotten the more
I have come to appreciate and the more I
have been intrigued by leadership," Odom
said. "We can see many leaders around
the nation and everywhere they share
similarities and qualities.
"Perhaps the most important trait that
we can notice is their apparent lack of
fearlessness — a topic that I think Dunlap
explained very well."
Senior football player Kevin Tiller
expressed similar views.
"I thought it was very good, and he was
very influential," Tiller said.
Event attendees Zach and Jadon Fetrow
also learned from the hour-long session.
"I learned it is not all about winning,"
said nine-year old Zach.
"Relationships are more important than
winning, and sometimes failure is okay,"
said Jadon, who is 11.
Without stepping on the basketball court
or even raising his voice, Dunlap perhaps
made the greatest contribution to Guilford
Athletics — inspiration.
Former Bobcats head coach Mike Dunlap
imparts wisdom to athletes on leadership.
What skateboarding means to students on campus
Junior Robert Sandidge skateboards on the Joseph M. Bryan
Jr. Plaza. He and some of his soccer teammates skate together.
BY OLIVIA WERNER
Si^;W«rrai
Imagine the sensation of skateboarding down a massive
hill as the wind blows through your hair and vibrations flow
through your feet.
Guilford students are attracted to skateboarding for many
reasons, but what keeps them on their boards is the feeling of
conquering a grueling course or landing a challenging trick.
"It's rewarding once you get that trick or run down," said
sophomore Timmy Barrows. "You just feel good after a long
day of skating."
Several students began skateboarding during their
early teenage years. Since then, their skating abilities have
improved as they test out different boards and tricks.
"I started skateboarding because I watched skate videos
growing up, and it was really inspirational seeing those guys
progress," said first-year lacrosse player Nick Nesbitt. "I.
wanted to do the same stuff."
Skateboarding is not only an alternate form of
transportation, but it is also a great way to burn calories.
"It's a good leg workout," said junior Danielle Mathias.
"At first it takes a lot of focus because if you're not balancing
your body weight correctly, or looking where ybu're going,
then you're going to crash into a tree."
The majority of college students are on the go, so owning a
skateboard cuts down on transportation time.
"I don't actually know how to get to class on time,"
said sophomore Faith Gaines. "So having a skateboard is
awesome."
Whether alone or with friends, skaters relish the kick-push
whenever they get the chance.
"I ride whenever there's a free opportunity," said Nesbitt.
While Guilford's campus is not the ideal location for
skaters, many paths gradually decline, providing boarders a
breezy ride through campus.
"My favorite hill is at the library, because it's one of the
highest points on campus," said junior Cameron McDowell.
"You can coast all the way from the library, past the mail
room and all the way to the apartments without any effort."
While there are no skate parks located near Guilford,
neighborhoods off-campus are becoming a popular
destination for those who seek the thrill of a hill.
"Recently we've been riding across the street on Arcadia
Lane," said sophomore lacrosse player Ian Wiesenberg.
"I ride in groups with the soccer team," said junior soccer
player Rob Sandidge. "There are probably eight or nine
players with boards, so we'll go off campus together and
skate.
"One time we rode around for three miles just finding hills
to ride to pass time."
Longboards seem to be preferred, as they aro the best for
riding on rough surfaces such as the bricked paths on campus.
"Skateboards are really cool, but I feel like they're only
applicable to smooth surfaces," said McDowell. "Longboard's
wheels are bigger and have looser trucks, so it's easier to ride
on difficult terrain."
But it is not always a smooth ride; wipeouts do happen.
"One time, I was riding in the old apartments, right by a
big rocky ravine, and I bombed down the hill and jumped 10
feet forward," said Nesbitt.
Luckily he did not get injured.
Others have not been as lucky, walking away with battle
scars.
"Both of my elbows look like they have birthmarks on
them, but they're actually scars," said Barrows.
Only a small number of female students skateboard, but
Gaines encourages women to give it a shot.
"More girls should skate, because it's really fun," said
Gaines. "But I think they should wear appropriate shoes
when they do skate.
"If you're going to skateboard, do it for real."
Skateboarders build community through riding in packs,
strengthening friendships and skills as they encourage each
other to improve.
"From what I've observed from the skateboarding
community, they're competitors as well as motivators," said
sophomore Kaitlin Sullivan. "They're competing against
one another but they also want each other to do better. It's
competition, but it's also solidarity."
For some, skateboarding is simply a hobby, for others it is
a way of life.
"Skateboarding changed my life," said Barrows. "It got me
outside doing something productive. It allowed me to explore
new places and meet people I wouldn't have met otherwise. I
don't know who I would be if I didn't know skateboarding."