National Collegiate Athletic Association |
The NCAA News - Briefly in the NewsMarch 23, 1997
Dispensing a dose of realityDispensing a dose of realityTwenty Kansas City-area elementary and middle school teachers recently took part in "The NCAA Hall of Champions Classroom," where they learned about a new, fully accredited interactive curriculum developed to help educators teach their students about the real world of a student-athlete.
"The statistics demonstrate that a student's chances of becoming a professional athlete are about as likely as winning the lottery," said Jeff Hiller, assistant director of the NCAA Hall of Champions. "Today's society places so much pressure on our youth to be the best, yet there is very little awareness of the lifestyle, dedication, financial obligation and work ethic needed to succeed in this arena," Hiller added. Educators who attended the curriculum presentation enjoyed a series of improvisational skits presented by Comedy Sportz, and they also reviewed viewed a video introducing the NCAA and describing its mission. The educators then participated in a pretest to gauge their knowledge of the NCAA and heard from several NCAA staff presenters. Patty Palmer of the Center for Economic Education, one of the creators of the curriculum, presented the instruction on the curriculum itself. She said the curriculum consists of four lessons and that it takes about five days, thirty minutes a day, for the elementary and middle school students to complete it. The lesson plans incorporate reading, social sciences, economics, history and writing. When the curriculum is taught in its entirety, a trip to the NCAA Hall of Champions is a highlight for students. However, the tour is not necessary to the completion of the curriculum. The educators had the opportunity to ask questions about the NCAA, intercollegiate athletics and the curriculum itself. They also had a tour of the Hall of Champions. "This program will give our students a realistic view of what intercollegiate athletics is all about," said Julie Witt, a fifth-grade teacher in Cameron, Missouri. "It is extremely important that they understand the requirements necessary to become an NCAA student-athlete." Educators who attended the event will receive one hour of graduate continuing-education credit from the University of Missouri, Kansas City. Holiday Bowl brings bucksAccording to a recent survey, fans of Colorado State University and the University of Missouri, Columbia, contributed a record $15.5 million to the San Diego economy during the 1997 Holiday Bowl. Fans occupied a total of 20,500 room-nights between December 24 and December 30. Colorado State defeated Missouri, 35-24, at Qualcomm Stadium on December 29. A gift for women's sportsA couple who wants to remain anonymous recently gave George Mason University's athletics department a $5 million trust, the largest gift ever given to the athletics program. The donors earmarked more than $2 million for the women's athletics program at the university. Can't stop this shortstopCoker College softball shortstop Kelly Norris recently hit her 61st career double, becoming the all-time Division II softball career doubles leader. The record previously was held by Raffaella Paparo of Merrimack College. A senior, Norris is pursuing several softball career records this year. She entered the 1998 season leading all active Division II softball players in career doubles, home runs and runs batted in. As of March 10, Norris held the Division II career doubles record at 70, and she was fourth in career home runs with 38. Her 181 career runs batted in put her at ninth. |
Created by the NCAA and the Center for Economic Education at the School of Education at the University of Missouri, Kansas City, "The Costs and Benefits of Being a Student-Athlete: The NCAA and Its Role" is designed for students in grades 5 through 8.