Chris Fritzsching, director of football education for the Detroit Lions, discusses the importance of body language. Kristy King | Washtenaw Voice
By Kristy King
Staff Writer
Student Development and Activities hosted a sports summit series last week via Zoom, which took place in three sessions, each with its own speaker.
The speakers at the event were WCC soccer coach Stephanie Dooper, Detroit Lions director of football education Chris Fritzsching, and Philadelphia Eagles assistant strength and conditioning coach Edward Grayer.
“As a department, we thought it would be great to showcase our different areas through different formats of a Summit Series,” said Matt Lucas, supervisor of WCC sports.
“With everything we offer, the goal is to make a positive impact daily with as many students, staff and faculty as we can,” Lucas said. “I know that for those that were able to attend the summit, this goal was definitely accomplished.”
The series kicked off on Tuesday with Dooper discussing the importance of being an active and engaged listener.
“We only absorb less than 50% of what we hear,” Dooper said. “That is why active listening is so important because it’s a muscle that you have to work at it. When you hear someone it is effortless, but when you listen to someone you are engaged.”
Dooper also discussed how leadership feeds into being a good listener, along with being approachable and patient. She also detailed steps to negotiating your salary. The key is to actively listen after asking for a raise, Dooper said.
Fritzsching focused on the “six p’s of prosperity,” driving home the importance of knowing your own “personal purpose statement.”
“If you can truly find your purpose at an early age, you’ll find much more fulfillment sooner in life,” Fritzsching said. “I wish I would have had a better understanding of the value of finding your purpose earlier on, because people don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do what you do.”
Fritzsching elaborated on how people are drawn to leaders who are authentic, consistently good communicators, and that positive leaders drive positive cultures.
“I’m in charge of how I feel and I’m choosing happiness today,” Fritzsching said, “so positively impact individuals in some way, because it can mean something to somebody struggling and dealing with their own trials and tribulations that they’re working through.”
“My biggest takeaway from the Sports Summit was to build a culture and expectations with your team,” Lanker said. “Make sure you enforce your expectations so that every player knows that they play a vital role in the success of the entire team.”
Grayer’s talk centered on leadership skills.
“Doesn’t take skill to care, it doesn’t take talent or a leader, just takes being excited for each other and caring for each other,” Grayer said.
Sabrina Lanker, a math and natural sciences major, doesn’t plan on going into sports, but still found the speakers’ advice helpful.
“I attended this event not because I am interested in becoming a coach or working in the sports industry, but instead to learn how to better my team, whether that’s a future class I might teach, or a future office I might manage,” Lanker. “The lessons you learn in sports can apply to many other areas of life.”
