A regular column by Athletic Director Bill Husak.
August 2004,
The summer is over and the excitement of athletic competition is just around the corner for the Lions. It has been an eventful summer, one that will continue LMU on the path of Building Champions.
Every year, the Division of Student Affairs holds a series of senior feedback sessions. One of the most common themes from these sessions is that those students who have the opportunity to study abroad rave about the experience while those who have not are disappointed. Student-athletes are almost never able to partake of a semester abroad and consequently do not have one of the most enriching and broadening experiences that are available to the rest of the student body. Our goal for the past two years has been to attempt to remedy this situation as best we could.
Through fund raising efforts, minding operational budgets and the financial commitments of the student-athletes and their families, we will have three teams that will have traveled to Europe. The men's basketball program spent about 10 days in May traveling through France and Italy playing five European teams (they went undefeated in their trip) and having a cultural experience that will be remembered for the rest of their lives. They also enrolled in a 3-unit class during this time that was taught by an LMU professor, Dr. John Reilly, which focused on the experience. Our men's and women's soccer teams are making a similar trip this month. And early next month our men's water polo team, thanks to the fundraising efforts of Ron Swanson, will be headed the Naval Academy for a tournament as well as a tour of congress and a visit to the Smithsonian. Steve Kahn, a pitcher on our baseball team, was selected to be a member of the USA Baseball Team this summer and traveled throughout the United State and Asia experiencing many lands and cultures. In the process, this team coached by LMU's Frank Cruz won the gold medal and represented this country proudly.
When we speak about "Building Champions" as our Department's motto, we certainly are referring to the athletic performance we expect from our student-athletes. But the LMU Lion experience is much more than that. Athletics can be a great conduit to opening the world to our young people and helping them grow as individuals and citizens of the earth. We have worked diligently to allow for these opportunities to occur whenever possible and have been intentional in making these experiences be educational and cultural. It is one of the unique factors that separates Loyola Marymount University and its Athletics program.
Go Lions!
