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NCAA News Archive - 2007
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Offshoot group permits CoSIDA not to act its age
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By Josh Centor
The NCAA News
The NCAA News
As the sun set in San Diego and another day of the College Sports Information Directors of America workshop came to a close, several people changed into beachwear and donned colorful leis.
The wardrobe modifications weren’t a result of West Coast style, but instead served as the dress code for a special social on the beach.
Nearly 200 CoSIDA members attended a private luau to celebrate, network and interact with colleagues and friends at the event hosted by “Young CoSIDA,” the unofficial social arm of the organization.
Young CoSIDA, or YC as it is commonly referred to by members, began in 1999 at the annual workshop. The idea was to create an atmosphere conducive to socializing and networking that enhanced the education received at daytime programming sessions.
“This workshop is a lot about people getting to see friends and developing relationships,” said YC President and CSTV Senior Director of University Relations Scottie Rodgers. “Everybody tends to hang out in their own little groups, and in this business it’s so important to network and get to know people outside of your own little world. YC is a great way for us to be engaged with each other.”
While the idea for YC was spawned at the 1999 CoSIDA meeting, the group didn’t begin hosting major events until 2005 in Philadelphia. Before that meeting, the YC quarterly newsletter kept members connected. It was in the City of Brotherly Love, though, where the group took activities to a new level.
“We split into four teams of 25 and had an Olympiad in darts, pool, Golden Tee and trivia,” said Jason Southard, sports information director at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. “Now we want to have a signature event every year.”
Last year in Nashville, 182 people showed up at the YC prom. The numbers increased at the luau in San Diego.
While the YC moniker suggests that members should be on the front side of their careers, that is not necessarily the case, as veteran SIDs have taken advantage of the opportunity to get out on the town.
“I love Young CoSIDA,” said Doug Dull, this year’s CoSIDA president and associate athletics director at the University of Maryland, College Park. “You can come to CoSIDA and learn a new way to do something on Photoshop and you can come to CoSIDA to learn how to get out of the office 20 minutes early, but the key to this business is its people and to learn how to network and communicate with them.”
Dull and his wife both attended this year’s luau, as did Judy Willson, a veteran SID from the University of Louisiana at Monroe.
“Those of us who are 40 and older aren’t being turned away at the door. I usually meet two or three new people each year just through YC,” Willson said.
Southard said age has nothing to do with the invitation.
“Youth is about how you act. You can be 21 or 75. The young is about how you feel,” Southard said. “Everyone is invited and we try to make that known.”
While some wonder whether YC could be perceived as a splinter group, Dull downplays such disagreement.
“YC developed to give people a way to network and have a good time. It fills a need to enhance our social offerings that haven’t changed much in the last 10 or 15 years,” he said.
The group’s unofficial status has nothing to do with establishing alternatives to official CoSIDA events, instead providing an opportunity for participants to do something a bit different.
“We can be a little more creative and fun. We want to remain that way,” Rodgers said. “CoSIDA isn’t going to an ’80s style prom, but YC can do that. The bottom line is that we are all CoSIDA and this is a great way for us to stay engaged with each other.”
The wardrobe modifications weren’t a result of West Coast style, but instead served as the dress code for a special social on the beach.
Nearly 200 CoSIDA members attended a private luau to celebrate, network and interact with colleagues and friends at the event hosted by “Young CoSIDA,” the unofficial social arm of the organization.
Young CoSIDA, or YC as it is commonly referred to by members, began in 1999 at the annual workshop. The idea was to create an atmosphere conducive to socializing and networking that enhanced the education received at daytime programming sessions.
“This workshop is a lot about people getting to see friends and developing relationships,” said YC President and CSTV Senior Director of University Relations Scottie Rodgers. “Everybody tends to hang out in their own little groups, and in this business it’s so important to network and get to know people outside of your own little world. YC is a great way for us to be engaged with each other.”
While the idea for YC was spawned at the 1999 CoSIDA meeting, the group didn’t begin hosting major events until 2005 in Philadelphia. Before that meeting, the YC quarterly newsletter kept members connected. It was in the City of Brotherly Love, though, where the group took activities to a new level.
“We split into four teams of 25 and had an Olympiad in darts, pool, Golden Tee and trivia,” said Jason Southard, sports information director at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. “Now we want to have a signature event every year.”
Last year in Nashville, 182 people showed up at the YC prom. The numbers increased at the luau in San Diego.
While the YC moniker suggests that members should be on the front side of their careers, that is not necessarily the case, as veteran SIDs have taken advantage of the opportunity to get out on the town.
“I love Young CoSIDA,” said Doug Dull, this year’s CoSIDA president and associate athletics director at the University of Maryland, College Park. “You can come to CoSIDA and learn a new way to do something on Photoshop and you can come to CoSIDA to learn how to get out of the office 20 minutes early, but the key to this business is its people and to learn how to network and communicate with them.”
Dull and his wife both attended this year’s luau, as did Judy Willson, a veteran SID from the University of Louisiana at Monroe.
“Those of us who are 40 and older aren’t being turned away at the door. I usually meet two or three new people each year just through YC,” Willson said.
Southard said age has nothing to do with the invitation.
“Youth is about how you act. You can be 21 or 75. The young is about how you feel,” Southard said. “Everyone is invited and we try to make that known.”
While some wonder whether YC could be perceived as a splinter group, Dull downplays such disagreement.
“YC developed to give people a way to network and have a good time. It fills a need to enhance our social offerings that haven’t changed much in the last 10 or 15 years,” he said.
The group’s unofficial status has nothing to do with establishing alternatives to official CoSIDA events, instead providing an opportunity for participants to do something a bit different.
“We can be a little more creative and fun. We want to remain that way,” Rodgers said. “CoSIDA isn’t going to an ’80s style prom, but YC can do that. The bottom line is that we are all CoSIDA and this is a great way for us to stay engaged with each other.”
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