In celebration of NCAA National Student-Athlete Day, the Belmont University Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) organized Camp Bruin at nearby Carter-Lawrence Elementary School Monday. Camp Bruin was organized and conducted by Belmont student-athletes and all 17 teams were represented at the event. During the three-and-a-half-hour session, student-athletes worked with second, third and fourth graders from Carter Lawrence by directing games and activities that involved their sport inside the school gymnasium.
Marcela Sanchez, a sophomore on the women’s soccer team, helped direct the Carter Lawrence students in a game of crab soccer. In crab soccer, the students had to keep to their hands and feet on the ground at all times and either kick or head into the goal. Sanchez said that participating in Camp Bruin was both fun and rewarding. “We had a blast today,” said Sanchez. “It was great to see the students’ enthusiasm as they played the games. Through our involvement today, we as Belmont student-athletes hope to be great ambassadors for the University and the entire Athletic Department and act as role models for the students of Carter Lawrence.”
Betty Wiseman, assistant athletic director and department advisor for the Belmont SAAC, has overseen the decade-long tradition of turning National Student-Athlete Day into a Belmont community service outreach project. She echoes Sanchez’s sentiments on the day’s meaning. “The SAAC did a wonderful job coordinating the event,” Wiseman said. “Obviously the Carter Lawrence students had a great time, and it was a real joy to see our student-athletes connect with them.”
National STUDENT-Athlete Day is a program of the National Consortium for Academics and Sports (NCAS) and is co-presented with The NCAA, the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) and Northeastern University’s Center for the Study of Sport in Society.
