January 23, 2003

Hobart student-athletes will learn lessons in leadership and management from nationally-known athlete and author Roger Crawford and sports psychologist Dr. Greg Shelley, among others.

GENEVA, N.Y.—The Statesmen Athletics Association of Hobart College will host the 2003 Napier Student-Athlete Leadership and Management Seminars on four Sundays throughout the month of February.

At 5 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 2, there will be a leadership team dinner and alumni forum titled “Values of the Game.”

Sunday, Feb. 9 will be divided into two sessions – 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. with inspirational athlete, motivational speaker and author Roger Crawford. Crawford’s two books, “How High Can You Bounce” and “Playing from the Heart,” chronicle his journey from severely disabled youth to USPTA tennis professional. He has been inducted into the National Hall of Fame for Persons with Disabilities along with Franklin Roosevelt, James Brady and Helen Keller, for his outstanding accomplishments regardless of barriers.

According to a recent profile in the San Francisco Chronicle, Crawford has defied medical experts by becoming a tennis professional despite his physical challenges – foreshortened arms at the end of which are two-pronged hands, and a prosthetic left leg.

“Not having whole hands – it just gives you an appreciation for what you have and less focus on what you don’t have,” Crawford said.

His determination and ability to motivate groups is based on his four elements of success: persistence, creativity, being surrounded by people who push you, and resilience.

The third and fourth sessions will feature sports psychology consultant Dr. Greg Shelley, assistant professor at Ithaca College and co-author of the book “Moving toward Your Potential: The Athlete’s Guide to Peak Performance.” The Feb. 16 topic is titled “Leadership Understood: Developing and Enhancing Lifelong Leadership Skills.” Part two of Shelley’s program, “Building Effective Leadership and Productive Sports Teams,” will be held on Feb. 23.

In preparation for the sessions, the Hobart Student-Athlete Leadership Team, a group of 75 Hobart student-athletes selected by their coaches representing all 11 of Hobart’s intercollegiate teams, read and discussed selected articles from best-selling author Ken Blanchard’s book “HIGH FIVE! – The Magic of Working Together.” Blanchard’s books on leadership and management – including the popular “The One Minute Manager” and “Everyone’s A Coach” (co-authored with Don Shula) – are among the most widely read of this genre.

Now in its seventh year, the life skills development seminar honors the late William J. Napier ’57, former director of the Statesmen Athletic Association. Napier’s wife, Jane F. Napier of Rochester, is a trustee of Hobart and William Smith Colleges.

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