When Kellie Allen, a two-sport student-athlete at State University College at Fredonia, went to the NCAA Leadership Conference last summer, she came home with lots of ideas and a plan. And Allen is the kind of person who carries out her plans.

Allen envisioned an activity that would permit all 14 intercollegiate athletics teams at Fredonia State to get to know each other, thus increasing overall camaraderie and school spirit.

Members of the Fredonia State Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, of which Allen is president, assisted in planning the Games.

During registration for the Games, each student-athlete was randomly assigned one of 14 different colored T-shirts so that each "all-star team" was composed of student-athletes from different sports. Fredonia State coaches wearing traditional official's garb acted as referees and line judges.

Greg Prechtl, Fredonia State's athletics director, kicked off the evening with a welcome, then the teams got down to business, with competition occurring simultaneously in the school's gymnasium, fieldhouse, ice rink and racquetball courts.

"Human Spelling" required teams to spell out words -- correctly -- on the floor with their bodies. The team with the correctly spelled word, configured in the shortest period of time, came away a winner. Another funny favorite was the "Cheese Puff Toss," which featured catchers whose faces were covered with whipped cream.

The teams took a break for pizza and soda pop, then the multi-team competitions were on in "Broomball," flag football, kickball, Wiffleball, handball and "Wallyball." A pie-eating contest and a dodgeball free-for-all wrapped up the competition, which was immediately followed by an awards ceremony.

The evening was a hit with both the student-athletes and the administrators, and the athletics department plans to have the Games as an annual event at the school.

Leadership link

Allen, now a junior, credits her experience at last summer's NCAA Foundation Leadership Conference with giving her the idea and the means to carry it out.

"(The Leadership Conference) was an enlightening experience. We got so many ideas on how to encourage our teams to interact," she said. "We also learned strategies to improve our athletics department as a whole."

According to administrators at the Fredonia State athletics department, one of the attributes of the department is Allen.

"Kellie is certainly the embodiment of everything good about Division III athletics," said Prechtl. "She is a dedicated athlete, an excellent student and a born leader who is always willing to give of her time. While others discuss ways to make things better, Kellie actually does them. We are lucky to have a young person with Kellie's attitude and energy involved in our athletics program."

She's been selected as co-captain for next year's soccer team, and she is a four-time State University of New York Athletic Conference all-academic team member. An elementary-education major, Allen recently was selected as the school's recipient of the Robert E. Coon recognition scholarship, which is given to a junior who has "demonstrated solid academic achievement and has made outstanding contributions to the quality of student life at Fredonia."

'I've been lucky'

In addition to her leadership role on the Fredonia State SAAC, Allen is a member of the school's Intercollegiate Athletic Board and a volunteer for Big Brothers, Big Sisters of America and for the Fredonia State Little Siblings Weekend.

"As a student and an athlete, Kellie is hard-working, motivated and intelligent," said head women's soccer coach Jen Goff. "She is committed to excellence and takes the extra time to prepare herself. She has enthusiastically accepted every opportunity presented to her to improve herself. She is a natural leader and will work harder as she is presented with more challenges."

Allen is glad she found a home at Fredonia State as a Division III student-athlete.

"At this level, everyone contributes to the game somehow. Each person plays to the best of her ability and keeps a positive attitude," she said.

"I've enjoyed being a part of two great teams," she said of her experience as a dual-sport athlete in soccer and track. "I've had so many good experiences and opportunities that I couldn't have gotten any other way. I've been lucky."

Allen plans to pursue a career in teaching, but look for her to remain active in athletics as well.

"I can't foresee a future without sports," she said. "When I'm eventually no longer able to play, I plan on staying involved in some way."

Good thing. Intercollegiate athletics could use a few more people like her. Just ask the folks at Fredonia State.