The Civic Life initiative at American University hosted a panel discussion on Feb. 25 titled, “Beyond the finish line: How sports shape our civil life” that highlighted the importance of what athletes and coaches can do off the field in the Mary Graydon Center.
The panel, hosted by University President Jonathan Alger, featured coaches and athletic personnel from a variety of different sports at American. The speakers included athletic director JM Caparro, wrestling coach Jason Borrelli, women’s soccer coach Marsha Harper and cross country/track and field coach Sean Graham. Civic life student fellows Samuel Gilio and England Meadows moderated the discussion.
“We really focus on teaching our guys core values,” Borrelli said. “You show up and support one another, despite maybe having differences of opinion and different views.”
Borrelli added that he believes in creating a common goal for his wrestling “family”: to become the best wrestlers and the best individuals they can be.
Harper said she starts the practice of civil discourse during the recruiting process. Harper encourages visiting prospects to spend a day on campus to see what her athletes do in the classroom.
“I can almost guarantee if they spend five minutes with them they wouldn’t be able to tell who is a senior versus a freshman,” Harper said. “They’re all hanging out together.”
Harper attended the University of Florida, where she said she often felt like just a number due to the enormous size of the school. She said a big reason why she took the job at American was because of the “familial vibe” she felt when she first stepped foot on campus.
“People authentically stop you and ask how you’re doing here,” Harper said.
Graham said teaching civil discourse on the field reinforces resilience, time management, and consistency for athletes, especially when under pressure.
“From day one I say to my athletes, ‘Look, you’re gonna be put in situations where you’re gonna be uncomfortable,’” Graham said. “What we do [as runners] is uncomfortable the whole time, but it translates to real life so quickly that you can apply those skills that you’re learning from in real life.”
Caparro chimed in after, adding that he looks for someone who is willing to take accountability when it comes to hiring people. He said that over 90 percent of the time he looks to hire former student athletes because they learned accountability on and off the field.
Harper said that before her team reviews film for the week, she likes to have personal conversations with her players to make sure they’re doing well off the field. She also stresses the importance of having her players train physically and mentally for a match.
“I call it mental hygiene,” Harper said. “The same way they exercise their muscles in the gym, I want them doing the same with their brains and minds.”
The panel then shifted to talking about the importance of education and the responsibility coaches have as role models for their athletes.
“Our job title may say soccer coach, but we’re so much more than that. We are their parents away from home,” Harper said. “When we’re talking to parents during recruiting, we let them know what we’re trying to achieve on the field but also in the classroom, the community.”
Borrelli emphasized the importance of community in sport by talking about his wrestling background. He has been around wrestling his whole life, even wrestling under the guidance of his father Tom.
For Borrelli, his job as a coach is to help his athletes become great leaders and in doing so positively influence their lives.
“We’re teaching our concepts and things that are gonna help them in their sport, but we’re also impacting their lives,” Borrelli said. “That’s what great coaches are, they’re professors, they’re educators, so I take my role very seriously.”
But for coaches and athletes, the end goal above all is to win.
“I tell my athletes I’ll tell them hard things your friends won’t tell you, but I’m also gonna put you in a position to achieve something that you never thought was possible,” Graham said. “It’s a pretty remarkable opportunity we get.”
This article was edited by Connor Sturniolo, Penelope Jennings and Abigail Turner. Copy editing done by Luna Jinks, Olivia Citarella and Hannah Langenfeld.
