Volume 137 No. 4

Captivating the crowd

Playwright, actor and educator Anna Deveare Smith brought the energy in the fieldhouse as this year’s Arts and Humanities Speaker.

_ By Carley Crain _ @carley_crain12

Actor, playwright, National Human ities Medal recipient, journalist, and activ ist – Anna Deavere Smith can do it all. On Sept. 29 in the field house, Smith lectured, performed, and met with the Springfield College community to discuss her life as an artist in the entertain ment industry.

Most known for her roles in Invent ing Anna, The West Wing and Nurse Jackie, Smith’s expres sive and powerful tone captivates audiences.

While many stu dents and other Springfield commu nity members know Smith primarily from one of her acting roles, students in English courses on campus, such as African American Literature II taught by Justine Dymond, know Smith’s most recent work, Notes From The Field, very well. Notes From The Field tackles

the modern issues of police brutality and the school-to-prison pipeline in a series of monologues based on real-life stories.

To kick off the ninth annual Arts and Humanities Speaker Series, Rachel Ru binstein, the Dean of Arts and Sciences, introduced Smith to a packed and eager crowd. Before the evening lecture, Smith met with a handful of selected students for a more intimate conver sation.

Smith’s dedication to activism service, and social justice issues aligns well with Springfield’s man tra of spirit, mind and body. She made this a focal point of her speech, as well as the College’s fo cus on sports. Smith also connected with the specific audience she was talking to by keeping her energy high.

Smith repeated ly stated during her

lecture, “If you say a word enough it be comes you.”

She kept coming back to this phrase – and explained how racism is a set of be haviors that manifests over time if nothing is done to stop it.

As she walked up to the podium to begin, Smith lightly chuckled and shouted, “You must be a sports school You all know how to yell!”

Smith kept the tone of her speech upbeat for the entire hour, and would switch

between speaking and performing. The audi ence’s eyes were glued to the stage and large screens for the entire ty of her talk. The way Smith commu nicates is unlike any other speaker most students have experi enced on campus.

“For me, being on stage and performing is a call to action for people who need to be more active. Perfor mance has a way of knowing you,” Smith explained.

After her hour-long presentation, Smith

answered questions from the audience and met with members of the Springfield Col lege community to sign two of her books, Letters to a Young Artist and Talk to Me: Listening Between the Lines that were on sale.

Smith’s thought-provoking and powerful presen tation left a lasting impression among the eager audience.

Anna Deveare Smith with students in Judd Gymnasia. (Photo Courtesy of Springfield College)

The return of study abroad

After a break due to COVID-19, Springfield College’s study abroad program is back.

___ By Patrick Fergus @Fergus5Fergus

For many students, the ability to study abroad is a treasured part of their college experience, and with the return to nor malcy after a two-year long pandemic, the choice to travel the world for further educational oppor tunities has returned to Springfield College.

When the COVID-19 pandemic began, the entire world was shut down. Most countries had strict travel restrictions that closely monitored the people coming in and out, with some not allowing anyone in at all.

This had a substan tial impact on the study abroad programs of col leges and universities that hoped to send students to all corners of the globe.

Studying abroad has been described by many former students as a life changing experience, crediting the program for expanding their under standing of themselves, different cultures, and the building of confidence and

problem solving skills.

Here on Alden Street, the persisting effects of the pandemic were notably felt in the study abroad department in the Dog gett International Center.

“Due to heightened travel advisories and COVID related travel re strictions, study abroad at Springfield was virtually suspended from fall 2020 until summer 2022,” said Heather St. Germaine, the Associate Director of International Student Services.

As many students, teachers, and businesses did during the pandemic, the study abroad program was forced to turn digital, with a single Springfield student taking part in a modified virtual expe rience in the spring of 2021.

In the height of isola tion and social distancing, many students and teach ers feared that life would never return to normal

However, the school and the program were

able to persist through the uncertainty of the past couple of years, and now with travel restrictions waning, are confident that all study abroad programs will be back and better than ever.

Even without the difficulties of constantly altering travel advisories, the program is still faced with the continuing chal lenge of visa and passport processing.

As a result of ceasing operations around the world, many embassies and consulate offices have been struggling with the burdensome effort of pro cessing the pileup of visa applications, without the proper staff to deal with them.

“At one point, it was taking up to 18-20 weeks to have a U.S. passport application processed but now the US Department of State is taking about 7-10 weeks,” St. Germaine

said.

This was especially true in some of the most popular destinations like Spain and Italy, which saw very strict lockdown re strictions, with the study abroad office recommend ing that students begin their visa application pro cess as soon as they can.

As conditions began to improve and the pro cess as a whole became a lot easier, Springfield was delighted to send a small number of students abroad this past summer and this fall, as well as over 30 applications re ceived for the 2023 spring semester.

Luckily enough for Springfield students, the restored program offers more than 20 countries to call home for a semes ter. This impressive list includes the UK, Spain, Argentina, Italy, Japan, and many more, with the additions of places like

Greece and France ex pected as soon as 2024.

Not only can studying abroad be the same cost as a semester at Spring field College and be used as the required themed exploration, but some students can even receive scholarships to assist their foreign journeys.

St. Germaine urges prospective students to take advantage of a once in a lifetime opportunity.

“We live in an intercon nected world that requires cultural understanding and global competencies,” she said. “The best way to develop the skills, knowl edge and awareness need ed to be a global citizen is through studying abroad.”

The experience of im mersing oneself in anoth er culture and exploring new places is a valuable one, and thankfully, one that is once again offered at Springfield College.

Springfield College students studying abroad. (Photo Courtesy of springfieldcollegestudyabroad/Instagram)

A warm welcome back

Stories and memories were at the forefront of 2022 Homecoming Weekend as alumni from different generations reminisced fondly on their time at Springfield College.

_ By Tucker PaqueTTe _ @tpaquette17

2022 Homecom ing Weekend at Springfield College, by nature, presented an opportunity for Springfield College alumni to reminisce about their time on Alden Street, experi ences they remember fondly and vividly. And boy, did they take full advantage of this chance.

The time when someone ended up driving their car in the lake, and how it stayed there for years. The time Bruce Springsteen played two concerts at Springfield College (one of which was in terrupted by a snow storm) for $500.

These stories and many others were casually exchanged this past Saturday af ternoon at the FREE Fabulous Food Truck Festival, as partic ipants were seated under a tent behind Blake Arena with partly cloudy skies above.

While the weather wasn’t particularly

conducive to a fun time, those who came back to their alma mater to attend the weekend’s festivities certainly didn’t mind.

In fact, with all the smiles and laughter that could be seen and heard, an uninformed onlooker would likely observe how people were having a great time while reliving their past, and catch ing up on the present.

This event, one

of several that were on the schedule for this Homecoming Weekend, featured food trucks, provid ing alumni with yet another reason to pull up a chair and recall their precious pas times.

One such topic that drew thoughtful reaction was how the course of studies at Springfield College has broadened as time has passed.

“I’m impressed at how they’ve expand ed their curriculum,” alumnus Bill Libardo ni said.

When Libardo ni was a student at Springfield College, approximately 75% of his peers were physi cal education majors.

Nowadays, however, while a notable num ber of students still major in that realm and ones similar to it, there is a wider vari

ety of academic areas for students to choose from.

What’s more, Li bardoni also echoed a sentiment that was shared by others at the festival when he commented on how attending Springfield College has impacted his life in the best of ways.

“I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for Spring field,” Libardoni said.

Donor Impact Lunch at 2022 Homecoming Weekend. (Photo Courtesy of Springfield College)

Campus

“Whenever I come back here, I really do get a sense of pride.”

When students are getting started at Springfield College, they hear a lot about how this school is a welcoming and cheer ful environment.

While this may seem almost too good to be true to some people, Libardoni’s unique perspective highlights the ef fects that Springfield College has and can continue to have on students and alumni alike.

Now, Libardoni works as a finan cial planner. There are countless other

alumni who have also found success in life. And like Libardoni, if they were asked, many of them would likely credit Springfield Col lege for helping them reach their goals.

Serving as a place to dive deep into the good old days, Home coming Weekend was highlighted by a re laxing, enjoyable time.

Even though many stories were told and lots of experiences were re-lived, there are surely countless others yet to be un covered. Luckily for Springfield College alumni, there’s always next year.

2022

(Photos Courtesy of Springfield

Goal oriented

Springfield alum Ava Fernandez’s collegiate career landed her a job with a professional sports team - a dream many kids have growing up.

student, but nothing crazy,” Fernandez said.

She continued, “As a kid, I was always involved in sports, especially softball and basketball.”

Her passion for sports never waned, as in her high school days was when she re alized what she loved to do. Her high school offered a dual enroll ment class, Intro to Sports Management, through Syracuse University.

“I was able to take a college class before ar riving at Springfield. I sort of had an ad vantage in that sense; I was aware of what the major entailed and what you could do within the industry,” Fernandez said.

“My younger self would definitely be surprised with where I’m at today,” Ava Fernandez said. “As an adolescent, I was aver age at everything.”

Fernandez, who graduated from Springfield College with a Sport Man

___ By Sean Savage @SeanSav13

agement degree in June, is anything but average today.

Her collegiate career landed her a job with the NHL’s New Jer sey Devils as a sales associate.

Her pathway through her adoles cence bolstered her

desire to have sports be a part of her every day life. Perhaps this thinking is best de scribed by American mixed martial artist Holly Holm: “Passion first and everything else will fall into place.”

Born and raised in

Cedar Grove, New Jersey, Fernandez developed a burning passion for sports at an early age. “Hon estly, I was somebody who was always sort of distracted in ele mentary school. But, I had a passion for sports. I was a decent

She was grateful for the opportunity: “It gave me a chance to get exposure as they had us do events and more,” Fernandez said “It gave me an early glimpse of what is to come through my senior year of high school.”

Getting acclimated to college presented another challenge.

“Staying organized and focused was not easy; it was a com pletely new environ ment,” Fernandez said.

“If there was something I needed

Ava Fernandez’s desk upon her arrival to her job with the New Jersey Devils. (Photo Courtesy of Ava Fernandez)

Campus

to do or get done, I learned to just get it done quickly. The life of any college stu dent gets pretty busy quickly,” she added.

As Fernandez continued through her college years, adjust ing became second nature.

Her advice to students who have similar passions is the following: “You have to take advantage of any opportunity that comes your way. It all starts with the basics, raising your hand and speaking up in class to volunteer work that will follow suit.”

For Fernandez, her opportunity presents itself during her senior year. She land ed an internship with the American Hockey League that lasted through the fall of her last year.

“I ended up putting my front foot for ward and eventually came out of my shell. Doing this helped me greatly,” she said.

Fernandez did such a great job that her manager inquired about keeping her full time. “She [her manager] asked me if I was interested in connecting on a call,” Fernandez recalled. “So we can get you set up with the Devils.”

She added, “It took three separate

interviews; the time process was from December to March. I wanted to take ad vantage of the oppor tunity, which is why I pushed so hard to pursue it.”

She was hired to work with the Devils right away out of col lege. During the NHL offseason, Fernandez took care of emails and calls.

Now that the Dev ils are in the swing of their season, she has to be in charge of multiple clients who attend the games. “It is a lot of in-person selling; you go over what the clients want to get out of the season,” Fernandez said. “Every day looks different. You always have a different con version.”

She has to attend every home game for the Devils. Gamedays often last from 9 am to 10 pm.

These long hours allow Fernandez to build relationships with her company and clients. She adds, “Ev eryone is really appre ciative of the aspect of figuring out what will work for them, which is my favorite part.”

As someone who did not grow up watching hockey, “It has now become addicting,” Fernandez

said. “I now know so much about the team and understand what is happening. I love it so much,” she added.

The job – and the Devils faithful – keep her on her feet “Fans will come up and quiz you about the team,” said Fernandez. “So, you better know your stuff.”

Fernandez has come a long way since her early “distract ed” elementary days. “Seeing where I am now, working with the Devils and in sales, it aligns with how I was as a kid, ‘’ Fernandez said. “I was pretty outgoing and loved to be in conversations, and I was just really friendly with every body.”

“I learned if you want to be successful, it is what you put into it,” Fernandez said. “That is what you will get out of it. It is literally as simple as that. If you work hard, you will do well.”

As for her younger self? “Seeing where I am today,” Fernandez said, “little Ava would be proud and sur prised.”

(Photos Courtesy of Ava Fernandez)

Jen Walker

The Springfield Student Women’s Athlete of the Week vote was easily the tightest race of the year for the top. After 154 votes, Jen Walker won the honor by a single vote — getting 42.2% compared to Jamie Albrecht’s 41.6%. This came after Walker scored two goals in the Pride’s 2-0 victory over Coast Guard on Satur day.

Albrecht served as a great run ner-up, as the sophomore right side hitter for the women’s volleyball team had a season-high 14 kills and a season-high 13 digs in the Pride’s five-set battle with MIT on Saturday.

She was followed by Kalista Fontanella with 10.4% of the vote.

The first-year forward for the field hockey team had the assist for all three goals in the Pride’s 3-0 win over Nichols on Sunday.

Audrey Hayes rounded out the vote after also having a great game this past Sunday. The first-year forward for the field hockey team scored two goals in the Pride’s 3-0 victory over Nichols on Sun day. The field hockey team is on a two-game win streak after another shutout win this past Tuesday.

Zach Taub

Zach Taub took home the Spring field Student Men’s Athlete of the Week with 50% of the vote after a great match. The sophomore ten nis player swept his singles match to help the Pride win on Tuesday against Endicott.

In second place in the poll was Clayton Knibbs with 25% of the vote. The senior goalkeeper for the men’s soccer team was 9-for-9 on saves to lift the Pride to a shutout victory over WPI.

Jack Rosenberg was a very re spectable third place in this week’s

poll. The graduate midfielder/ defenseman for the men’s soccer team scored a goal in both of the Pride’s games this past week.

Rounding out the vote was Nick DeMaio after a very good week on the course. The senior golf er finished third out of 39 after shooting just five over par to help Springfield finish second at the MASCAC Championships.

Be sure to follow The Student on Twitter @TheSpfldStudent to vote in the next poll!

Zach Taub. (Photo courtesy of Springfield College Athletics)

Jen Walker. (Photo courtesy of Springfield College Athletics)

‘It was fun to be in that fight’

Four Springfield College alums reflect on their battle for women’s rights and the long-lasting impact they left at Springfield College.

sports and how the money they were supposed to receive was not given to them. This left women’s coaches underpaid and women’s varsity sports underfunded. Murray didn’t let these inequali ties slide and filed a Title IX grievance, one that resulted in what would be an “in house lawsuit.”

Without the help of Diane Potter, Murray and the gymnastics program wouldn’t exist, as Potter was the founding leader of the program.

founding coaches in the athletic department. She was the first women’s bas ketball coach and the first women’s tennis coach.

Bush went on to coach softball at East Strouds burg University, worked her way to being a full professor before retiring in 1996. Bush set a legacy that would last beyond her years and would act as in spiration to other women in the coaching field.

It’s the 50th anniversa ry of Title IX, the educa tion law that became the foundation of the gen der-equality movement.

In the half-century since it passed, Title IX has impacted women all over the nation, especially here at Springfield.

On Sept. 30, alumni and students sat in the au dience of Fuller Arts Cen ter to listen to the expe riences of four incredible women – all Springfield College graduates.

The panel was unlike most others. Each of the women involved were connected to each other in some way. The relation ships between the women included coaches and players, past teammates, or teachers and students.

The panelists had one central thing that unit ed them all: fight. Each fought against the ste reotypes and restrictions placed upon them during their time as players, coaches and educators.

___ By Olivia Gentry @oliviag3ntry

The event was mod erated by Branwen Smith-King. Smith-King, a member of the Spring field College graduating class of 1979, was part of the first track and field team at the College. She was later inducted into the Springfield College Athletic Hall of Fame, and a recipient of the Springfield College Dis tinguished Alumni Award. The Bermuda native went on to become the head coach of the track and field team at the Tufts University, where she also became the Physical Education Director and Senior Woman Adminis trator. During the panel, she invited the panelists to comment based on their experiences regarding what life was like pre- and post-Title IX.

Dr. Mimi Murray (‘62, G ‘67), the longest-stand ing faculty member in Springfield College history, is a decorated activist who sold the first

women’s basketball cham pionship to major televi sion networks like ESPN, and one of the Women’s Sports Foundation’s top five pioneers in women’s athletics, was a member of this important panel.

Murray served as the sports psychologist for the Olympic Women’s Gym nastics and Equestrian teams. She was a former gymnastics Coach of the Year for the Pride. Her accomplishments in sports come as no surprise, see ing she had been playing sports since high school.

“I loved everything about the gymnasium ex cept the smell,” she said.

Her gymnastics team at Springfield College shocked the world of tumbling, winning the National Championship by a tenth of a point – a feat thought impossible by the other competing teams.

In describing her ex perience on Alden Street, Murray detailed the harsh atmosphere for women in

Potter coached the first softball team at Spring field. One of the biggest points of her legacy was her principal role in the development of the women’s intercollegiate athletics program from 1963-1966. During this time, Springfield didn’t recognize women’s varsity sports and even had a con stitution that stated such.

After the bill passed, she found that nothing had changed and that even in the classroom the culture at the college was segregated. While she rec ognizes the growth made in our modern nation, she finds that women’s rights are still being diminished.

She called on educators to continue the fight and young people to carry the torch of work in gender equity, stating that it was “fun to be in that fight.”

Like Murray, Dr. Jone Bush was a famed coach at Springfield College. Bush came to Springfield in 1963 to start the women’s athletic program. She was the first female athletic ad ministrator and one of the

The final panelist was Dottie Zenaty. She was an athletic powerhouse, play ing four sports at Spring field. Coached by fellow panelists Bush and Potter, she too bore the struggles of being a female athlete.

When Zenaty returned as faculty, she saw firsthand the transitional growth in women’s sports before and after the insti tution of Title IX. Her success led her to be U.S. Field Hockey Develop ment Coach of the Year. Seeing discrimination as both a player and a coach, Zenaty urged future participants in women’s sports to “stay vigilant” and advocate for them selves and others.

This illustrious group of panelists provided humor and real insight on the emergence of Title IX. Their efforts to change the culture at Springfield College were not unnoticed. Their com mitment to gender equali ty has provided an impact on women’s sports and has granted future female athletes opportunities not possible for the four pioneers who spoke.

Left to right: Diane Potter, Jone Bush, Branwen Smith-King, Dottie Zenaty, Mimi Murray. (Photo Courtesy of Springfield College)

Homeshow heroes

This year’s Men’s and Women’s Gymnastics Homeshow honored Title IX, and also featured routines from alumni of the show and a presentation of Winter

Osborne’s national championship ring.

___ By Braedan Shea @braedan_shea

As the stands of Blake Arena on the campus of Springfield College began to fill — quickly reaching full capacity — it was clear that the energy was high. The lively crowd, made up of students, family, faculty and staff, was buzzing with excitement — an antic

ipation of what was to come next. As the lights dimmed at 7:03 p.m., a collective cheer rang out, signaling only one thing:

The 112th Annual Men’s and Women’s Gymnastics Homeshow was about to be under way.

Every year, the home

show displays a new theme, capturing the at tention of the audience through a series of in teresting plots and sto rylines as the gymnasts show off their impres sive aerial skills. This past weekend, the theme for the show was Title IX, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary.

To pull off such a great event, there is lots of work that goes into it. This process becomes even harder when you try to balance being the interim women’s head coach on top of being a fifth grade special education teacher; but Springfield alum Emily Bellin was able to do

just that, with the help from others.

Although having familiarity with home shows, being in a few when she was a student, it is the first time that she has been a part of directing the event.

“It was really cool to direct from the other side,” Bellin said. “It was

The homeshow ended on a tableaux that gave a message of equality in sports. (Photo courtesy of Springfield College)

a lot of planning, and a lot of work, obviously, and I’m really grateful for the men’s coaches as well. They did a lot of the work, especially since I was at school. But it was really great to kind of be more in volved with the behind the scenes aspect.”

In the show’s open ing, a video was played encapsulating some of the best athletics mo ments on Alden Street; ranging from players and their teammates celebrating, to historical photos from the cam pus’s past.

As the video reached its conclusion, the audience was given the first look of action, as the gymnasts stormed the court. Upon getting a roar from the crowd, they got into what they do best, showing ex treme talent.

Once getting a taste of what the show would entail, it was time for the heart of the event to begin. The first sto ryline was that of the Olympics, as a multi tude of men and wom en emerged from the darkness dawning the uniforms of different countries; where they amazed the crowd on the uneven bars.

A sub-theme of this year’s home show was that of honorment, as beyond just honoring Title IX and what it has done for women’s equality in sports, there was also the honoring

of specific individuals.

Among those indi viduals was Billie Jean King, who was more than just an extraordi nary tennis player, as she fought as hard as she could for the equal rights of women in sports. In her dedicat ed piece, the gymnasts played a match of air-tennis, before get ting into different floor exercises, completed with acrobatic flips and well-timed tumbles.

Others who had their time to be celebrat ed were some former Springfield College alumni, who were seen donning their personal beanies. To round off the segment, four of the men’s alumni went to work on the parallel bars, displaying great upper body strength by throwing themselves into flips, and of course sticking the landing gracefully. The seg ment concluded with all four getting on the bar together, and holding themselves vertically above the ground.

Winer Osborne, a graduate on the wom en’s team, was also honored in the event, as she was presented with her national champion ship ring. Last spring, at the National Collegiate Gymnastics Association (NCGA) championships, Osborne became the first national champion in the uneven bars since 1996 for Springfield with a 9.800 routine.

The title-winning score also tied a program-re cord in the event that was previously set in 2018 by Jess Clemens.

The Springfield Col lege Pride dance team was also a part of the show, adding in their own flare, where they honored female dancers of the past. As the team showcased their ability to mirror one another and amazing transitions, a video was playing of those influential histori cal dancers.

To end the events portion of the show, the men’s and women’s team came together to

put a gymnastics spin on the sport of basket ball. With the use of a trampoline, the teams showcased pristine air time en route to some intense, thunderous dunks; including going through their legs and a powerful windmill.

As part of the annu al tradition, the home show ends with the paying of respect to the mission of long-time gymnastics head coach Leslie J. Judd. The par ticipants formed many different tableaux, all of which related back to Title IX.

With the event

coming to an end, the loudest cheer of all was given, and in less than a full hour, the audience was giving a standing ovation.

“When we decided to do [home show on] Title IX, we knew that it was going to be a challenge, but that we could pull it off; and that it’s gonna be really cool,” Bellin said. “The way that we got the community involved and having those intro videos, what we’ve done that was really, really powerful.”

Four alumni were brought out to perform a routine on the uneven bars. (Photo courtesy of Springfield College)

Bringing it all together

Professor of Sport Management Heather Gilmour has recently been appointed as faculty athletics representative.

___ By Chris Gionta @Chris_Gionta

Springfield assistant professor of sport man agement and recreation and newly-appointed faculty athletics represen tative Heather Gilmour intends to use her own past positive experiences in athletics to help the cul ture of athletics at Spring field College. Gilmour was a field hockey player at University of South ern Maine, and at times, was able to appreciate the support from the academic side of the campus.

“I always felt uneasy talking to professors saying I had to leave class early to go compete, but there were a few times where I can remember faculty who were really supportive,” Gilmour said. “I can distinctly remember an English professor say ing ‘Good luck! Who are you playing today?’...and I

can remember just feeling great about that level of support.”

Every institution is required to have a faculty athletics representative for the NCAA. Gilmour was appointed by Spring field President Mary-Beth Cooper, and the position is there to provide a connec tor between academics and athletics.

“[Faculty athletics representatives] serve as a representative to the col lege, the NCAA, as well as athletics for the academic side of the house for the student-athletes,” Gilmour said.

She is taking over for Bob Accorsi, who had the role for seven years. Ac corsi had a very produc tive tenure as the faculty athletics representative at Springfield that Gilmour admires.

“Following Bob Accor si’s footsteps is something I honestly try to avoid — he leaves a pretty big mark wherever he goes,” Gilmour said. “He was probably more involved than any faculty athletics representative I’ve ever known. He was heavily involved with the cre ation of the Pride Cares program. He was heavily involved and supportive of Humanics in Action Day events. He was in tegral in the food drives that [Springfield] ath letics completes. He runs leadership programming for the women’s basketball team…”

Gilmour has a lot of perspective on college ath letics. She was an assistant director of athletics for student-athlete welfare, a head field hockey coach, and softball coach at Regis

College before she started working at Springfield in 2018.

“I worked for 12 years in college athletics,” Gilmour said. “So, I used to work on the other side. I’d work with the athletic directors directly and talk about the faculty athletics representative that we would select and would be ideal.”

Each institution asks for different requirements of their representatives.

“Different campuses use their faculty athletics representatives in different ways — whatever meets their needs,” Gilmour said. “Previously, when I worked in athletics, we used to go about look ing for faculty athletics representatives who could help bridge some gaps with certain academic departments where there

might have been a little more pushback in terms of athletic support.”

There is always po tential for athletic and academic departments to have conflicting thoughts on how the school should approach their respective areas. However, this is not as grand an issue at Springfield because of the enthusiasm for stu dent-athletes to pursue athletic success.

“Springfield is such a supportive community for athletics in general,” Gilmour said. “I feel as if everyone on campus does amazing work within their groups, and I would love to try connecting a lot of those dots between ath letics and student groups and faculty and co-curric ular work to bring every body together.”

Heather Gilmour is in her fifth year at Springfield. (Photo courtesy of Springfield Athletics)

From captain to coach

New assistant men’s and women’s gymnastics coach Christian Wilkey Jr. comes in after competing for the Pride, as well as serving as a captain.

be his first start in the coaching ranks, he has a strong foundation of past knowledge that he plans on continuing to share.

“We have a philoso phy… to be 1% better each day,” said Wilkey Jr. “That’s one of the things that I learned on this team.”

Wilkey Jr. was a two-time captain, and helped the Pride become the first D-III school to qualify for NCAA nationals this past year, and has been doing gymnastics his whole life. His parents own a gym, and all he’s ever known is being in the gym and getting better each day. He feels that all of this will help him teach the next genera tion of Pride gymnasts.

ing staff.

“For him to have that experience like, liter ally five months ago to where he can bring that now to the guys on the team now, I think that’s [huge],” said Donley.

With Wilkey Jr. recently graduating, he has the ability to relate to everyone on the team because he was just re cently in their shoes.

“I really encourage the gymnasts [to be better],” said Wilkey Jr. “And not just gymnas tics, but also academics too.”

Donley knew Wilkey would make a great coach because of his leadership skills throughout the previous two seasons as a captain.

Luke Whitehouse

As Springfield College’s Homeshow wrapped up this past weekend, it marked the beginning of a new chapter for Christian Wilkey Jr.

Wilkey Jr. is entering his first season as the assistant coach for the men’s gymnastics team after spending the past

four as a gymnast for the Pride.

“It’s been a lot of fun,” Wilkey Jr. said, who’s getting used to the transition. “It’s been really really good [so far].”

Wilkey Jr. didn’t know he wanted to be a gymnastics coach after graduation, but

he knew that gymnas tics had been a part of his life, and he wanted that to continue. When head coach Matt Davis offered him the assistant coach position shortly after graduation, he knew this was some thing he wanted to pursue.

Although this will

“I always tried to lead by example in the gym,” Wilkey Jr. said. “[I’m just going to] share my personal experiences and what I’ve done on the team to help every body else.”

Junior Kael Donley, who was named a cap tain for the first time for the upcoming season, said it has been great to see his former teammate now part of the coach

“We knew he’d be a great leader,” Donley said. “He just knows what to say, when to say it and how to say it for us to understand.”

As Wilkey Jr. is get ting ready to start his first season as an assis tant, could eventually becoming a head coach be on the horizon?

“I honestly don’t know,” Wilkey Jr. said. “I think it would be something really cool though.”

Newly-appointed assistant men’s gymnastics coach Christian Wilkey Jr. on the rings in 2020. (Photo courtesy of Springfield College Athletics)

Homegrown leader

Springfield alum Rachel Ahlmeyer takes the reins as lead coach of the men’s and women’s tennis teams after a career of playing and assistant coaching for the Pride.

__ By Nick PaNtages Contributor

The Pride’s men’s and women’s tennis team began their fall season last week, but without a familiar face. Mike Louis stepped down after four years as the head coach of both programs on Alden Street, and the new lead coach is his for mer player and grad uate assistant, Rachel Ahlmeyer.

Ahlmeyer was a 2020 graduate, majoring in movement and sports studies, who also recently got her Mas ters degree in athletic administration in 2022. Ahlmeyer was also a four-year player for the Pride’s women’s tennis team, while carrying the honor of being a captain for her final two years. Ahlmeyer’s love for the Pride is very apparent. “I loved my experience being

a student-athlete at Springfield College, from the second I started touring Spring field, I knew it was the

place I wanted to be.”

After two years as a graduate assistant to her former coach, Ahlmeyer was offered

the job of the lead coach of the Pride’s tennis teams, a job that was joyfully accepted.

“I don’t really feel

like there’s words to describe how special of an experience that it has been,” Ahlmeyer said.

During her time as a student-athlete with the Pride, Ahlmeyer gained valuable expe rience at the school through the four years as a player.

“I think just having the experience of knowing what the core values of our program are is something that really sets other coach es apart,” Ahlmeyer explained.

This positive expe rience and love for the school brought her back. Ahlmeyer’s experiences as a stu dent-athlete led her to believe that this was her home, something she credits to the sense of community so many have contributed to and successfully built at Springfield College.

As a young and first-

Rachel Ahlmeyer. (Photo courtesy of Springfield College Athletics)

year lead coach, there are naturally struggles one will run into as the season progresses. But the always-optimistic Ahlmeyer had other thoughts about that.

“Being a student-ath

lete not too long ago too, I’m able to re late to the shoes that they’ve been in, if they are having challenges in the classroom or there is something not going right with ten

nis, I am able to relate to them on a really per sonal level,” Ahlmeyer explained.

Ahlmeyer’s role of coaching not only the women’s team, but the men’s team as well as

balancing a full-time job as the graduate recruiting coordina tor at the school of Physical Education, Performance, and Sport Leadership could be a lot for someone not even three years re moved from graduat ing.

However, Ahlmey er’s determination and positivity prevents this from being a problem. She acknowledged the learning curve, while saying, “Being flexi ble has been huge.. I consider myself a very organized individual so I think that helps a lot. Just being around this program has also really helped, people know that I’m experienced, I know this program, I have their best inter ests.”

Ahlmeyer repeatedly praised her assistant coaches and her sup port staff around her, saying, “I’ve also been relying on our assistant coaches a lot and they have stepped up in a really nice way as well as using our leadership counsel, they’ve really made the transition a lot easier.”

A source of personal pride for Ahlmeyer is senior Veronica Fulg ieri.

Ahlmeyer said, “[Ve ronica] actually was my doubles partner my

senior year, and now seeing her as a senior is a wonderful full circle moment, it’s amazing to see the woman that she has transitioned into.”

Ahlmeyer will always retain her love for ten nis, but the opportuni ty to coach at her alma mater will remain one of her greatest oppor tunities. The ability for the sport Ahlmeyer loves to remain as an important aspect of her life will always be something she can cherish.

“It’s absolutely a dream come true,” Ahlmyer said.

“It’s amazing wearing Springfield College’s jersey as a student athlete but it’s a whole nother level wearing it as a coach to be able to represent a wonderful tradition of this pro gram.”

With two strong teams by her side, she summed up her feel ings for the program perfectly.

“I’d cut off my right arm for this program, I love it in and out,” Ahlmeyer said.

Ahlmeyer will look to pave her own legacy as a coach now, spurred by her love of the school she considers home.

Rachel Ahlmeyer playing in 2019. (Photo courtesy of Springfield College Athletics)

Sports

Performing With A Message

The theme of the

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Annual Men’s and Women’s

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and present impact.