SHAE OLDS/WARREN FREEMAN:BUILDING LEADERSHIP SKILLS IN ORLANDO
May 29, 2009
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SEASIDE, Calif. – Softball player #Shae Olds# and men’s basketball player #Warren Freeman# were selected to represent Cal State Monterey Bay at the 2009 NCAA National Student-Athlete Development Conference May 24-27 in Orlando, Fla.
In those four days, Olds and Freeman worked on three subjects pertaining to student-athlete leadership – Personal Branding, Attention Control and Critical Issues. Personal Branding grabbed Olds attention because it was about representation on how people perceive others and how others invest in people.
They met with other student-athletes to discuss Student Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) projects. Olds served as Co-President of SAAC this past year and Freeman was one of the men’s basketball representatives.
“We talked about how much the NCAA has to offer to us as student-athletes which I am excited to research to find new ideas and benefits that we can bring on campus,” Olds said. “In between all of these sessions we met with our small group teams to go through self discovery and do different activities to learn more about each other but mostly our self. “
On Tuesday, they went to Walt Disney's Wide World of Sports complex where they did trust and communication activities with our teams. It showed how effective and ineffective one can be by communicating. That night, there was a formal dinner and dance which gave all the student-athletes the chance to get to know one another on a different level.
"It was a lot of fun going to the Disney Sports Complex and doing group competitions," Freeman said. "After doing the DISC assessment, we were able to see how our different personalities and leadership styles played a role in our group’s success!"
“This conference was one of the best experiences I have ever gone through,” Olds said. “I am so appreciative to have gotten the opportunity to be able to grow so much in the matter of four days.
“I am very excited to get back to campus and use the tools that I have acquired and better CSUMB!”
"Attending this conference was a life changing experience," Freeman said. "I am grateful that I was able to learn so many new leadership skills in such a short period of time. I look forward to using what I have learned to improve CSUMB!"
When you first heard that you were selected to attend this conference, what were your expectations?
Olds: I definitely did not expect to learn and grow as much as I did. I was very excited to get the opportunity, however, I had no idea what was in store for me. I had expectations of meeting new people but I did in no way expect to build such amazing and strong relationships with such a large and diverse group of student-athletes!
Freeman: After finding out I was selected to attend this conference, I was very honored and excited. I am always interested in learning more and meeting new people. I expected to meet a lot of diverse people and learn valuable information.
Were your expectations met?
Olds: My expectations were surpassed! I grew so much as a person and a leader and I know everyone felt the same way. I went in not expecting much and left Florida with a new set of skills, attitude, and overall outlook on life.
Freeman: By attending, I was able to learn more about myself than I expected to. I believe I was most intrigued to find out my personality type based on the DISC assessment. The DISC classic is based on a four-quadrant model that reliable describes four styles of human behavior: Dominance (D), Influence (I), Steadiness (S), and Conscientiousness (C ).
What did you get most out of your experience at the conference?
Olds: Personal growth and building relationships! Like I said, I grew so much as a person and leader and gained so many new skills, which I greatly appreciate! Also, I built relationships with all kinds of different people from all around the country. People of different races, sports, schools, and personalities all gathered with one common goal of becoming better leaders, and before we knew it we had all gained many new friends that we will hopefully always keep in touch with!
Freeman: Self-discovery. I am amazed at how much we al learned about ourselves in such a short period of time. The leadership skills and people skills I learned will be an asset to me throughout my life. I also learned many new activities that Shae and I would like to consider implementing at CSUMB.
Who were some of the people that were in your group and what school are they from?
Olds: We were in groups of 50 but were split into groups of two for the most part. I had fellow student-athletes from Missouri State, University of Arizona, University of Oklahoma, Augsburg College, Fairfield, University of Richmond, etc. They played all different sports: Fellow softball players, basketball, football, soccer, volleyball, hockey, golf, swimmers and divers! I definitely will take something from each person I met whether it is a skill, idea, or piece of knowledge because everyone I met had a great impact on me and my outlook!
Freeman: I was able to work in groups with student athletes from Kentucky State, Dowling (NY), CSUS, University of Missouri, and other schools. All of these people were unique and had different outlooks, making for a great learning experience. It was interesting seeing how we all apply the same principles to our sports, no matter how different they are.
What programs or activities would you like to begin at CSUMB that you got from others at the conference?
Olds: I really want to bring lots of new ideas I learned about to SAAC! I learned lots of new fundraising ideas and how to get more people involved and their suggestions and issues heard on campus. I hope that SAAC continues to grow with all the new ideas I learned and I am very excited to get that going. I will also take many leadership skills that I gained back to my team and I think that the new leadership skills I acquired will benefit my team!
Freeman: The “Icebreaker” activities we were taught were extremely fun and creative, and would be a great tool for incoming students to get to meet other students. I am excited to help implement these activities around campus to help make us a close community! We were able to come up with many fundraising ideas that I think would work extremely well at CSUMB.
What was the highlight of your trip?
Olds: The highlight of my trip was just the fact that I was in a new place, with new people, with new ideas and knowledge. That alone made my trip amazing! Being able to explore downtown Disney on our night off wasn't too bad either :)
Freeman: Getting to meet so many new people and networking. I was able to form relationships with people I never expected to! The entire trip was a great learning experience that I am honored to have been a part of. Downtown Disney with Shae and my new friends was fun too!
