McDaniel student-athletes are often involved in community service activities. On Sunday, two area events garnered the attention and support of many of the Green Terror teams.
Members of no fewer than 11 teams partnered with the Hill Family Center YMCA in Westminster to put on a Sports Day for youth in the area. Athletes from the basketball, field hockey, football, lacrosse, soccer, track and field, volleyball and wrestling teams joined forces to help run the stations.
Youths who attended could choose from five tracks, consisting of a variety of sports.
Ryan Weiss, a junior on the men’s lacrosse team, was one of the athletes who helped run the football and lacrosse station and noticed the kids were excited to learn different parts of the sport – not just catch Hail Marys.
“One of the kids kept asking if we were going to do long snapping drills because that was his job,” Weiss said. “They ended up practicing throwing, catching and snapping.”
After the stations were finished, there was a 30-minute window for the kids and their parents to ask questions of the athletes.
The day was organized by Exercise Science and Physical Education instructor Becky Allen and her sports management graduate class. Students were responsible for planning the event and getting student-athletes to help with the stations as well as contacting sponsors to provide refreshments and t-shirts.
Allen talked to some parents, who were thrilled with the variety of sports offered.
“The parents were excited with all of the sports their children could try. It provided the participants with an opportunity to develop a better idea of the sports they may want to play in the future. The kids were also really excited to be coached by college-level players and really paid attention to what they were talking about.”
Members of the football and women’s lacrosse teams were also involved elsewhere in Carroll County on Sunday, assisting with the MS Walk at Carroll Community College.
No fewer than 15 members of the football team volunteered to set up tables and help with registration for the 5K.
During the event, about 20 members of the women’s lacrosse worked a station at the halfway point of the walk, serving snacks and beverages.
MS Walks are held in 11 communities across Maryland with more than 8,000 total walkers and more than $1 million dollars raised.
Source: http://www.mcdanielathletics.com/spotlight/20140403_commservice