Aug 20, 2010 8:39:23 AM

Earlham football student-athlete Max Crumley-Effinger has been awarded a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship that will allow him to combine two of his career interests.

In September, he will begin a 10-month stay in central Germany to teach English at a high school and intern at a youth sports club. He'll spend 15 to 20 hours per week teaching.

"I hope to come away with a good idea of what it takes to be a good teacher, which will help me to decide what it is I want to do," said Crumley-Effinger, who graduated this spring with a major in German and a minor in business. He also set school records as a place-kicker in points (134), field goals (16) and extra points (86). He was a first-team all-North Coast Athletic Conference selection.

But in addition to the teaching experience the scholarship affords, Crumley-Effinger said he is equally intrigued by the second part of the project.

"I grew up playing sports, but in Germany youth sports are not conducted through schools," he said. "In traditional German schools, there are no sports programs. They are played at the club level, and in Germany, possibilities exist for teenagers to be paid to play sports."

Crumley-Effinger said his academic life has always been closely tied to his athletics life.

"Sports were a good counterbalance, and that's why I am so interested in learning about the way youth sports are done in Germany," he said.

He is considering going to graduate school to study business and hopes to work in international business either in teaching or in the workforce. The Fulbright will allow him to sample international life.

"I wanted to be centrally located to easily access different places in Germany and Europe, because I want to travel during my spare time," he said. "I feel comfortable with my language abilities so that shopping and getting around won't be too difficult. I am more concerned about all the unknowns. Even though I am nervous about living on my own, I am excited about the idea of getting to that point in my life."

The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to "increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries." Named for the late Sen. J. William Fulbright, the program has provided nearly 300,000 participants – chosen for their academic merit and leadership potential – with the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns.

Mark Blackmon is the director of media relations at Earlham.