charity
Katie McVoy
Inside Saint Mary's Sports
An athlete's schedule:
7 a.m. - get up, go work out
9 a.m. - noon - class
Noon - lunch with the team
1 p.m. - 3 p.m. - class
3 p.m. - 6 p.m. - serve the community
7 p.m. - practice
Hold it a minute. Was it just me or did someone else catch the serving the community part of that schedule? What's that all about?
Well, for those of you who haven't kept an eye on Saint Mary's sports recently, the Belles had a big win on Sunday. No, I don't mean Saturday's big basketball win, I mean Sunday. Well, what win happened on Sunday?
On Sunday the Belles made winners out of area kids suffering from cancer. Angela Athletic Facility was converted from a basketball court and work-out facility into a place where dreams could come true for local families.
The Valentine's Oncology party was a huge success because of both the athletic administration and the athletes who participated.
Each Saint Mary's team had a table or an activity going on Sunday. No matter what these teams did during the season, they ranked No. 1 with the kids who attended that party.
This is what athletics should really be about. Sure it's fun to watch athletic events and cheer for our team. But why? It's because athletics can bring us together as a community.
The Saint Mary's student athletes, not only this weekend, but all year, show how athletics can bring a community together. They are all healthy (well, most of the time) women who are using their gifts to help those that are less fortunate than they are.
Mind you, athletics is not all these Saint Mary's athletes have to do. They are also full-times students with homework, campus jobs and friends to keep up with. They have found the time to give back to a community that has supported them in the good times, even if not in the bad.
We could all learn a lesson from the kids and the athletes at Sunday's party.
The athletes have the right idea. If they can find time in their busy schedules to support a local volunteer effort, so can we.
Making a basket, crossing the goal line, and spiking the ball over the net for a point are definitely reasons to cheer. But community outreach is the real way to score.
And what can these kids show us? Well, on Sunday they all recognized who the real heroes are. Their heroes were a group of women who took time to care.
These women don't make millions of dollars or hit a hundred homeruns in a season. They don't have to dye their hair green to make a statement, or refuse to play because the media is insulting. They are heroes because they know that they are part of something outside themselves. They are heroes not because they are receiving, but because they are giving.
The media has done its part to show the negative side of athletics. Now is a good time to show the positive.
The women, both athletes, administrators and coaches, who participated in Sunday's party showed the families that were present that an athlete is more that just a body. An athlete is a heart and a soul as well. And an athlete will give her heart and soul to a little boy or girl who needs her help.
So the next time you turn on the TV to watch the big game, or head over to Angela or the Joyce Center to watch some hoops, remember there is more to an athlete than entertainment.
Many of the athletes you watch have given time to help the community. Stand up and cheer for them, not because they are national champions, but because they are champions of the community.
The opinions expressed in this column in are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
All Sports Stories for Tuesday, February 13, 2001
