By David Hays
GREENWOOD – Putting smiles on the faces of children can be
just as satisfying as winning games. Just ask the Lander
women’s soccer team.
The Lady Bearcats have done plenty of both this season, finishing
with a school-record 13 victories on the field while sharing many
hugs and laughs with schoolchildren off the field in their Mini
Bearcat Program (MBP).
All members of the team are participating in the MBP, going to
kindergarten classes at nearby Merrywood Elementary School to read
and draw with 5 and 6-year-olds. They are also active with the
Connie Maxwell Children’s Home.
"It’s a certain feeling when you do well on a test
academically, and there’s a certain feeling when you win a
game. But there’s something different about going to see kids
and talking to them about their dreams," said Lander junior
midfielder Stacey Copeland, who designed the program herself.
The players read books with the children, talk about life as a
student-athlete, promote working hard in school, and encourage them
to be involved in exercise and sports.
One of the highlights of the program is "My Bearcat Dream
is…," where the students draw and color what they want to be
when they grow up. After drawing their "dream," they get a My
Bearcat Dream certificate.
"This child wants to be a cheerleader," Copeland said, with a
smile, proudly showing the little girl’s drawing. "It might
be a basketball player, a policeman, whatever it might be, they
draw their dream."
"They believe they can do anything," forward Jessica Skowron said.
"When we ask them what they want to be when they grow up, they
might say a doctor AND a cheerleader. They want to be both. They
all want to be a superhero. There is no cap on their
imagination."
"The kids are really funny with what they say and do," freshman
Georgia Mahon said. "What they draw are really cute like their
superman pictures and their cheerleading pictures. I just go away
feeling in such a better mood. They really make me laugh."
"When we leave," Copeland said, "we give out like 50,000 hugs. The
kids are friendly. The feeling that you get when you leave and give
them their certificates, there is nothing else in comparison."
"The kindergarten students here at Merrywood loved the visits from
the girls," Merrywood Instructional Specialist Alyson Perrin said.
"The soccer players read books with the children in small groups
and discussed the dreams of each child. The children were asked to
illustrate their dreams and share with the class. The Bearcat
program is a wonderful program because it allows children to be
influenced by young adults in a positive manner. It also shows the
children that if you work hard you can achieve your dreams."
The players also enjoy spending recreation time with the students
at Connie Maxwell, promoting exercise and helping them discover new
sports. They have played everything from checkers to, of course,
soccer. The Lady Bearcats are also active in Connie Maxwell’s
special events, including their spectacular Christmas program.
"Stacey and the girls soccer team have done an excellent job
working with our children," said Michael Gambrell, who is assistant
director of Connie Maxwell’s Enrichment Program. "They come
prepared and keep the students busy the entire time. The thing that
impresses me the most is the bonding between the soccer team and
the children. I can definitely tell the girls have fallen in love
with our students."
Copeland designed the MBP herself as a way to give back to the
community. She hopes to include other Lander athletic teams and
other elementary schools in the near future. Similar programs have
already been launched within Lander’s athletics program. The
baseball team, for instance, recently began participating in Connie
Maxwell’s gym activities with the younger students. The
players are planning to visit the children every Thursday and
Monday for the month of November. The men’s basketball team
is beginning its second year of participation in a mentoring
program at Westview Middle School in Greenwood. Students from Mrs.
Rebecca Davis’ sixth-grade class are each matched with a
Bearcats basketball player. The students and players meet once a
week in the school’s media center for the purpose of
mentoring. Coach Bruce Evans and the players talk with, mentor, and
help the students with academics to encourage the students to do
their very best academically and to provide positive role
models.
That’s also the idea behind the women’s soccer
project.
"It’s a good team-building project outside of school and
outside of soccer," she said. "We’ve got a lot of really
strong role models on this team with great attitudes."
Lady Bearcats head soccer coach Chris Ayer said Copeland was
involved in some aspect of social work back in her homeland of
England and was missing that involvement.
"She came up with the Mini Bearcat Program by herself and she has
a Powerpoint presentation that’s 15 minutes long," Ayer said.
"She is a great leader and she’s got the rest of the kids
involved."
Ashton Tatum, a sophomore from the Columbia, S.C., area, is also
heavily involved in the planning aspects of the MBP. All the other
players have participated at least once depending on their school
schedules.
"Some of the girls were a little bit unsure about doing it at
first maybe because they hadn’t dealt with 20 excited
6-year-olds before," Copeland said, with a wide grin. "Everybody
has really loved it and enjoyed it. Everybody has been real
enthusiastic. And the point is that the children enjoy it. We have
a soccer team that will give up their time to do this rather than
some other social activities. We have that kind of team. Coach has
worked with us if we have needed to rearrange practices for
it."
"I was really glad whenever we started the program because I
wanted to do something like this, working with kids," freshman
defender Kelsie Hall said. "I always think it’s good for a
team to support the community because they come and support us. I
have a good time. It’s a great feeling. The kids enjoy you
coming there. You get just as much as out of it as they do."
"I have never really done anything like this before," freshman
defender Gina Silvestri said. "I decided to come one time. I just
really enjoyed it, seeing the kids and how their faces light
up."
"I have really enjoyed it," sophomore midfielder Dani Smith said,
with a smile. "I am like a kid anyway. So I have fun with them when
I go."
"It’s great for everybody," junior goalkeeper Rachael Hine
said. ‘You can take on the role of the teacher or you can
just play with them. It’s what you put into it."
"I enjoy going because personally coming from a big family with a
lot of kids, being away makes you miss the interaction with the
younger kids," said Skowron, who is the youngest of five children
and also has two nieces and four nephews. She came to Lander from
the Houston area.
"Going makes me feel more at home," she said.
Christin Moss enjoyed her time at Connie Maxwell.
"It was fun because you see their competitiveness, even in
checkers," the freshman said. "They are so hilarious. I know I was
a competitive kid."
Hine said the interaction outside the field of soccer is
refreshing.
"You get to see your teammates in different lights," she said.
"You spend so many hours every day on the soccer field. We know
each other inside out when it comes to playing soccer. When you see
them outside the soccer field or the classroom interacting with the
kids, we feel like we can be ourselves. It’s nice to see the
different sides of people."
"We have spent so much time together on the soccer field and
during our academic life as well," Copeland agreed. "So to do
something completely outside of all that, we get to know each other
differently. We get to know each other a little bit better."
"For me, it’s rewarding," Ayer said. "We brought in a new
group (of 14 freshmen) and had a great group that returned, they
have jelled into a cohesive unit, and they are all on the same page
doing the same thing (project). They are giving back to the
community and that’s a breath of fresh air."
Baseball
About the PBC
