Mave Waves Wednesday with Athletics Director Kirby Garry

Season Openers and History Made!
Men's Soccer kicked off their season on a high note with a 2-1 win over #20 Colorado School of Mines in Golden, CO. Volleyball went 2-1 with wins over Pac West rivals Academy of Art and  Domincan University at the Otter Classic. Women's Soccer played to  a draw with Biola University in our first ever game at the renovated Stadium. Check out CSUMB Director of Digital Transformation / Otters' Play by Play Announcer Greg Pool's twitter post from the game:
 

History! 🎉👏🦦

First time @OtterAthletics plays a competitive match on Freeman Field at the old Fort Ord, now Cardinale Stadium, home to @MontereyBayFC in the @USLChampionship.#MakeWavesMB#TakeExit406#MBTID pic.twitter.com/v7IafCJkwc

— Greg Pool ⚽️ (@coachgpool) August 25, 2022

Department Vision and Mission 
Last week I shared our department values of Opportunity - Trust - Teamwork - Empowerment - Respect - Service. Today, I want to zoom out to our Department Vision and Mission.

• Our Vision: We will be the premier collegiate athletics brand in the Monterey Bay region and a recognized CCAA and NCAA Division II leader in our pursuit of student-athlete success.
• Our Mission: We will serve, challenge and support each other in pursuit of student-athlete success. We will empower our student-athletes to earn a degree, train and compete for championships and develop as responsible leaders. 

We believe the performance of our athletics department, as it relates to academic and competitive excellence, plays an important role in gaining recognition for our university as a comprehensive institution of higher learning and achievement. In order to achieve excellence and perform at a high level, we need to have clear vision and mission to inspire, motivate and guide our actions.

Developing Inclusive Leaders
Starting in the fall of 2020, our department participated in Return on Inclusion (ROI) Inclusive Leadership Training that consisted of six online, self paced modules in the following topic areas: 

• Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging Foundations
• Cultural Competence & Managing Relationships
• Overcoming Bias, Microaggressions & Covering
• Unpacking Racism, Anti-Racism & Privilege
• LGBTQ+ Inclusion & Gender Stereotypes
• Inclusive Leadership & Strategic Plan Development

Over the last two years, we've made a commitment to ongoing ROI training for all athletics department staff as new modules are created. We've also included ROI training as onboarding for new staff. The goal is to have 100% of our athletics department earn the Inclusive Leadership Certificate and take part in continuing education offered on the ROI platform. We have to do this work collectively so we can effectively show up for each other and our student-athletes on a daily basis.

I was fortunate to be introduced to ROI founder Nevin Caple through my involvement in NACDA. My personal journey of working with and learning from Nevin supports what I believe is my most important professional responsibility to be a culturally competent and inclusive leader for our university and athletics department.

Record Year in Licensing 


We just completed a record year in licensing, meaning we generated the most revenue ever from the royalties collected on the sale of officially licensed MB Merchandise. Director of Communications & Marketing Aaron Bryant and I work closely with CLC, the licensing division of Learfield IMG College, and Game Changer Licensing to support our university licensing program. 

The increase in licensed merchandise sales and royalties can be attributed to a few factors connected to the Campus Store (formerly the Bookstore) in the new Otter Student Union. The new location is easy to find and more trendy products are being sold in the new retail space. We are also seeing more licensed apparel purchased by the local Target in Marina (pictured above) and an increase in online sales (ShopOtterAthletics.com and Amazon). 

When you purchase officially licensed MB merchandise, a share of that royalty directly supports our student-athlete experience. So please continue to gear up with your favorite Otter apparel and ask your favorite local retailer to carry MB branded merchandise. If a local retailer shows interest, please send them my way via email at athletics@csumb.edu!

Celebrate MB Spirit, Sport Your MB Colors and Share Your Photos

How cool is this? Congressman Jimmy Panetta sporting his MB pride at the Congressional baseball game last month.  We will select photos each week to feature in this blog. Celebrate MB Spirit, Sport Your MB Colors and post on social media using the hashtag #MakeWavesMB! Tweet your photos to us at @OtterAthletics or tag us on Instagram @OtterAthletics using the hashtag #MakeWavesMB. You can also email your photos directly to us at athletics@csumb.edu.
 
Schedule of Events This Week

1. Buy Tickets and Cheer for Your Otters
2. Donate to the Otter Athletics Fund
3. Shop MB Merchandise 
4. Sport Your MB Colors and Share on Social Media (hashtag #MakeWavesMB)
5. Ask / Motivate Others To Do The Same!

Let's Go Otters!
Kirby Garry
Athletics Director 

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