acornsfromtheoaktree-blog

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Today was the final day of the summit. I got to hear Dr. Astro Teller, CEO of Google X, Tom Burns and Jim Hensen, both former Campbell Trophy Winners, Diane Greene, SVP of Google and Founder of VMWare. I unfortunately had to leave a little early, so I had to miss out on some speakers. These were some great speakers that taught us how to be unique and innovative, even if that means being weird with creative ideas and failing in the short term to be successful in the long term. 

I had an incredible time at the Campbell trophy summit. It was awesome to be able to represent Manchester University at the event and share my week with you guys. I got to make some connections and learn what it takes to be a great leader. This will be an experience I will never forget.

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Today, I got to hear from Steve Young and Ronnie Lott, both former NFL players and in the Hall of Fame. They had awesome stories and incredible experiences but probably the one thing that touched me the most was life after football. The lesson they taught was to “box it up”. You can’t keep searching for football and you have to compete against yourself now instead of an opponent. They taught us to not live in your glory days and being the guy hanging out at your old school. There’s so much more to life that we need to experience. That was a lesson that was really important for me to remember because football season for the Spartans will be starting next week. I would do anything to keep playing but I know that I need to move on and continue to excel in different aspects of life. 

After getting to hear from them, Liz Wiseman, author of “Multipliers”, came up and spoke to us about leadership. She taught us how there are “diminshers” and “multipliers” when it comes to leadership. Diminishers waste talent and just do what they want to do while multipliers take others and make others reach to be greater than what they already are. We did a few activities with her and it was overall a great session. She was passing out a few copies of her book and I managed to pick up a copy, so it will be a good read for the plane ride back. 

Then we got to have some team-bonding activities where we had a scavenger hunt around the campus and work together with other players. It gave us the opportunity to explore Stanford’s beautiful campus. I got to walk through the art museum, athletics hall of fame, and take a picture in front of the “Gates of Hell”. It was awesome being able to work with guys from different places. I thought coming from a small school, I wouldn’t be able to relate with these guys that went to a large, D1 school but that was not the case at all. These guys are just like any other recent graduates from college. I was able to talk to them about the careers, family, and many other things. Guys that went to large schools like Ohio State and Baylor want to talk and get to know me, which I thought was awesome.

Tomorrow will be the last day of my trip and I will be coming home to the midwest. I will get to hear from former Campbell trophy winners, CEO of Google X, and a two-time Olympian, so it will be an excellent way to wrap up this trip!

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Good evening everyone!

The pictures above are from the Stanford stadium and the views from it at the reception the first night. The William V. Campbell trophy is also shown above. Today was another jam packed day full of presentations and meeting new people. I got to hear from Brad Smith, CEO of Intuit, Dan Rosensweig, CEO of Chegg and pictured on the left, Charlie Batch, former NFL player and pictured on the right, and then other teams from Intuit and Columbia. They each had something different to share, whether it was how to move on from football into a career, or what to do when things aren’t going the way they are planned. There are a lot of great sayings and quotes that I would love to share but don’t have enough time to share all of them, so here are a few:

Leaders don’t go left or right; they move forward. Never waver in what you want to do.

The three attributes to being successful are the power of preparation, teamwork, and delivering under pressure.

“You wanna go fast, go by yourself. You wanna go far, go as a team.”

There are rubber and crystal moments in life. Rubber band moments are the many practices and events that you can see at any time. Crystal moments are the birth of your child, graduations, birthdays. Never schedule something over a crystal moment. 

Do not go where there is a path. Go where there is no path and leave a trail.

These are just some of the quotes and lessons that I learned today. Tomorrow, Ronnie Lott, Steve Young, and Ted Robinson will be presenting, so there will be more to come!

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Hello everyone! My name is Eric Beard and I am a recent graduate from the class of 2018 at Manchester University. I am currently in San Francisco, California at Stanford University. During the 2017 football season, I was nominated as a national semifinalist for the William V. Campbell trophy award. This award represents athletic performance, academic excellence, and community service and is considered by many as the “Academic Heisman”. I was fortunate enough to be invited to the trophy summit and get to hear from CEO’s and former NFL football players about what made them successful. I will be sharing my experiences with you guys throughout the rest of this week, so stay tuned!

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4K: Running into the Pacific!

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4K: So it’s officially over. It’s very bittersweet. This post is a bit late, as we finished on August 11. But catching up what was missed. We crossed into Oregon on Day 64. My group cycled a total of 120 miles and crossed over a four mile long bridge into Astoria, OR. We were so happy to finally cross into our final state. Day 65 was the day we finally got to play in the Pacific Ocean! We arrived at Cannon Beach and stayed there for the day to walk around the town and celebrate how far we have come. Day 66 was in Tillamook, OR. It was a rest day and the people took really good care of us. We had lunch in a small town, Cape Meares. They welcomed us with banners and cheering along with a lovely lunch. They even hired a masseuse for the team. A group of us went to Tillamook Creamery and had cheese samples and ice cream. We finished the day with a huge dinner. The people there were wonderful and made us all feel like family. Day 67, 68 and 69 were full of excitement. We all knew our days were slowly coming to an end. So we made every moment count. It was full of dance parties every morning, jumping into every body of water possible and laughs. Day 70 was our final day. It consisted of a 9 mile ride into Portland. We met family and friends at the park to cheer us in. The Ulman Cancer Fund held a small ceremony for the team. And Team Portland 2018 officially became 4K alum. This team meant so much to me this summer. I went in with 23 other strangers and came out with 23 family members. I was so sad to leave them but so happy I got to spend the summer with them. The 4K was a great experience. Anyone interested, I encourage you to go apply. Any questions, let me know. It is a life changing experience.

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4K: From Nebraska to South Dakota to Wyoming to Idaho to Montana. In South Dakota, we stayed in Hot Springs. So we were able to see Mount Rushmore. We had a rest day in Rapid City and we spent our entire day hiking though the Badlands. The Badlands National Park was a great sight. Onto Wyoming! The day crossing into WY, we went past Devils Tower. We could see it from sooo far away. It was amazing to travel closer and closer to see more detail. That same night we also had our second and last scholarship reception for Team PDX 2018. The following day, the team climbed over an entire mountain in one day! Big Horn Mountain with over 8,000 ft of elevation in a 90+ mile day. This section of the country is so beautiful. We are seeing canyons, lakes, grasslands and mountains. I have to say it is an improvement over the flat lands that we were in a week ago. We headed into Jackson, WY tomorrow with a rest day following. We hiked and enjoyed our “rest day” by not resting. This is true 4K style. We are doing more physical activity, that just doesn’t include biking. We stopped in Idaho for a night. Then we went north to Montana. We stayed in West Yellowstone and visited the National Park. A few more days left in Montana and back through the chimney of Idaho. 15 days left until Portland!

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4K for Cancer: My current location is Columbus, Nebraska! We have left Iowa and moved in Nebraska. And it is only Day 30! Iowa didn’t treat us all too well. We had many issues there with bikes and people. But we did meet some amazing, inspiring people. So overall, Iowa wasn’t too bad. But I don’t know if I ever plan to go back anytime soon. Lol. But three days ago, we left Iowa to move into Nebraska. Our first stay was right inside Nebraska in Omaha. The Team went to volunteer at a local Ronald McDonald House in our day off. This was in Omaha, NE, Day 29. We helped clean, bake and garden while meeting and talking to patients. We also had a scholarship reception! Yesterday, the Team gave away a college scholarship to a young women currently fighting a rare form of cancer. She was a great young lady and became an honorary Team Portland member last night. Today’s ride was supposed to be a 101.1 mile ride. Due to detours, it became a 104.8 mile ride. Not too much of an increase, but the heat didn’t help. It was a good day though. I rode with a great team today that helped push us all to our host! My summer is almost to the halfway point! USA location wise we are pretty much halfway! But Day wise, we have 5 more days until halfway. We are currently on Day 30, so Day 35 will be halfway. It is an incredible experience that I am having and loving it here!

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4K for Cancer: Climbing over Mountians in Pennsylvania #UlmanCancerFund

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4K for Cancer

Hello. My name is Shelby. I just finished my first year at Manchester University. This summer I am going cross country on a bicycle. I am doing this with the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults in their 4K for Cancer program. The ride started in Baltimore, MD and will end in Portland, OR. I am currently on Day 12 of my ride. I have cycled over the Appalachian Mountains and passed through 4 states so far! Along the way, I am meeting many great people. From my teammates, to our wonderful hosts, to random strangers. Cancer affects so many people. But I hope that I can inspire the family and friends and give hope to the ones that are currently fighting their battles. Cancer changes lives. So do we!

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As we prepare to depart Havana, I reflect on what has been an entirely unique opportunity. Prior to heading down to Cuba, I had painted a picture in my head of a country that doesn’t care for outsiders and a big city that would feel unwelcoming, as many of ours do. I was naïve and found myself to be unimaginably wrong.

I’ve been surrounded by sport my whole life. I’ve had the privilege of participating, coaching, working, and studying in sports. I have ventured to other cities, states, and even countries all because of this activity that is prevalent around the world. The opportunities are limitless, and I plan to take as many as possible.

Sports have taken me many places over the years, but none quite like this. Hasta luego, Cuba.

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We at Indiana Futsal pride ourselves on the adaptability of our staff. Futsal is a relatively young game in the U.S., and with that comes many challenges that we cannot anticipate. Here in Havana, we have been battle tested in quickly managing and adapting to change. We arrived here in Cuba on a Wednesday, with the plan to start the men’s tournament on Saturday and the women’s tournament on Tuesday. Quickly, things went awry, and we found ourselves pushing the tournament farther and farther back. Its rainy season here in Havana, like clockwork it pours down in the late afternoon each day. This unforeseen obstacle forced us to push the tournament back 2 days. Then we were faced with the tragedy of the plane crash that took place here in Havana. This caused the country to take a 3-day mourning period in which no music, drinking, or large gatherings should take place. Ultimately, we have had to change the entire plan of the tournament.

We held an impromptu meeting here at ArteCorte on Wednesday (supposed to be the third day of the tournament) and came to the realization that the weather was simply not going to allow us to put on this tournament outside. We immediately began exploring other options. ArteCorte got in touch with a government owned facility here in Havana about the possibility of using their space for this tournament. Essentially, they agreed to allow us to use the facility for 8 hours in exchange for some new futsal equipment. I can’t stress the relief/panic that immediately set in. We now have an indoor facility, yet the tournament has now been cut down from four days to eight hours...we have a lot of work ahead. 

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I find myself sitting in a 100-year-old barber shop chair in Old Havana. Papito is speaking purely in Spanish, (my Spanish is…how should I say…nonexistent) and yet I find myself clinging to every word. You can sense the knowledge hanging upon each sentence he utters. I cannot put into words the beauty and uniqueness of the barbershop/house/museum that we are sitting in.

Papito heads a group called ArteCorte. He’s a barber, a community leader, and a mentor to so many. Papito has helped cultivate this culture of succeeding businesses and the growth is obviously appreciated by the locals. For long, Cubans have been unable to own a business license, with the government controlling most operational storefronts. Papito helps fund and educate locals on the opportunities here in Havana.

Futsal has provided me with countless opportunities to see and experience different cultures, yet as I visit this wonderful city, I still get the feeling that it is so much more to the Cubans here in Havana. As I delve into our work with ArteCorte and La Liga en Cuba (ironically started by Anton, a fellow mid-westerner from Iowa), I hope to explore this relationship. We at Indiana Futsal hope to be able to provide our expertise in the area of futsal to these organizations in order to continue the sustainability of growth in the local sport scene. Although we are here to help educate, I get the feeling that I am going to walk away learning much more from the people here in Havana than I could ever hope to give them. It is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity and Indiana Futsal is going to make the most of it.

It is extremely hard for me to articulate my experience so far here in Havana. This city, the environment, and the people are one of kind. Cuba has been shut off from the United States for so long, yet as we experience this wonderful culture, we are somehow welcomed into a city that acts as though we have lived here our whole lives.

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Cuba: The People, the Community, the Futsal

Here is a little background before I tell this unique story. As I’ve ventured through college, my passion for using sport as a tool for community growth and development has increased exponentially. Indiana Futsal has provided me with the opportunity to use futsal as this tool in Indianapolis and rural areas of Indiana. Now, I have found myself skipping graduation to join my Indiana Futsal family on an expedition unlike any other.

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This past Sunday the three of us (Sydney Thompson, Taylor Kopplin, and Brady Nyland) attended the HCAC-SAAC spring meeting at Franklin College. While we were here we were able to meet other SAAC reps from the schools in our conference, and gather ideas of different events to impliment here at Manchester. We also had the opportunity to listen to guest speaker Mitch Bonar (pictured above) as he talked about how Special Olympic Unified sports have changed his life. We discussed the legislation updates, and the possibility of adding men’s and women's lacrosse to more schools in the conference. Finally we discussed the differences occurring in men’s and women’s golf and tennis and possible solutions. This day was very insightful for not only how to better our SAAC program, but on the importance of unified sports and increasing the accessibility of them.  

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On the final day of the 2018 NCAA Convention the group attended the NCAA Division III Business Session in which our FAR, professor Watson, was able to cast the Manchester vote on the proposed legislation. #NCAAconv

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Day two of the 112th annual NCAA convention consisted of an opportunity to discuss and give input on the Division three legislation being amended at the Issues Forum, a chance to sit in on the HCAC conference meeting, and another great networking experience at the mentor program reception. #NCAAconv