Olympians and Leaders

If your "Beijing Countdown" clock is ticking, here's something you should know--the Big South is going to the Olympics!

Okay, to be fair, we're really talking about a few special athletes representing their countries in the Games, but the Conference takes great pride in having these Olympians on the growing list of Big South athletic stars past and present:


Amber Campbell (former Coastal Carolina All-American) will participate in the hammer throw after placing second in the US Olympic Trials and reaching the necessary "A" level standard. It's redemption for Campbell, who came up just shy of the standard four years ago for Athens.


Taylor Milne (High Point alum and Big South record-holder) will compete in the 1500m run for Canada after placing first in the Canadian trials. He had already established his Olympic standard time at a previous meet, so now he's ready for the Beijing Games.


Emily McColl (active Coastal player, 2nd Team All-Conference in 2007) will rejoin New Zealand's national women's soccer squad for the Olympics. Last year McColl played on the team in the FIFA Women's World Cup (also in China). She plans to return for her senior season following the Games.


Congratulations to the international stars of the Big South Conference!

It's exciting to see members of our extended family compete at the highest level, isn't it? Heck, (name-drop alert) I went to college with Dara Torres--AFTER she had already been to the Olympics twice...who would've thought she'd still be at it nearly 20 years later??? Wow!


Time to segue from leaders in competition to leaders in life, who often wind up being many of the same people: student-athletes who learn to apply the best lessons of sports to the trials of business and society. The Big South Conference seeks to nurture that capability for success in its student-athletes with its 3rd Student-Athlete Leadership Weekend.


The Leadership Weekend conference (previously held in Charlotte and near Asheville) is coming up July 18-20 at the Kingston Plantation and Resort in Myrtle Beach, with the theme "The Race to Lead." Big South Partners Sherwin Williams and Musco Lighting will sponsor the event where about 50 of the finest Big South student-athletes will gather to network, listen to notable guest speakers, receive advice and tools for their future, plus enjoy some time away from campus. Speakers will include former CCU women's basketball player Brooke Weisbrod, Ken Carrick of Coleman, Lew and Associates, Dr. Kadence Otto from Western Carolina University, and Ken Rothmel of Sunbelt Rentals. Anyone seeking more information about the annual Leadership Weekend should contact Dawn Turner in the Conference Office.

That should just about do it for this morning--hope you had a good 4th!

And hey, it's just a little more than two weeks now to the combination of our 25th Anniversary announcements and the annual Football Media Day--get ready for a great year across the Big South!!! (Hmmm...I just realized the excess of exclamations in this post...must be excited--or taking SHOUT too literally)