Eastern Mennonite University Podcast

After a week off (too busy to record a podcast last week), Dave and James are back with a recap of the first week of the 2012-2013 season. Dave provides a few updates, including some new things for this year specifically targeting freshmen athletes, helping them to transition to college at EMU. These include a “Bridging the Gap” class that Sue Kolb is teaching, video interviews with coaches after home games and the presence of a counseling intern in the athletic department. James highlights the results of last weeks contests and add comments from the preseason previews for each team. One of the highlights is the hosting of our first “home” cross country meet in several years and our first ODAC Athlete of the Week, Hannah Chappel-Dick who won her first collegiate cross country meet. Inside Athletics is a weekly podcast hosted by Director of Athletics, Dave King. The podcast offers a synopsis of what is happening in EMU athletics, but also delves deeper into how athletics at EMU shapes lives and enhances college educations by positively impacting an athlete’s understanding of self, others, and God. Sports Information Director James De Boer is a regular guest with EMU coaches and athletes making appearances as well.

“So faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13:3) Byron Peachey offers the third of three reflections on these abiding characteristics with an emphasis on love.

“So faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13:3) Joanne Gallardo offers the second of three reflections on these abiding characteristics with an emphasis on hope.

Les Horning is the Seminary Associate Director of Development, Admissions and Church Relationships. The entire campus community is invited to every chapel worship service on campus. Eastern Mennonite Seminary hosts chapel gatherings in Martin Chapel every Tuesday and Thursday; EMU Campus Ministries hosts chapel gatherings every Wednesday and Friday in Lehman Auditorium. Specifics and occasional changes are noted in individual chapel listings.

“So faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13:3) Professor Carolyn Stauffer offers the first of three reflections on these abiding characteristics with an emphasis on faith drawing from Habakkuk 2:1-3.

The campus community gathers to hear President Loren Swartzendruber reflect on EMU being “like no other …” This service concludes with a  time of sending for the New Zealand and South Africa & Lesotho cross-cultural groups leaving soon after chapel.

Seminary Dean, Dr. Michael King, opens the EMS fall semester with his convocation address, ” From Position Statements to Communities of Discernment: EMS as Discernment Training Center.” Dr King’s comments and reflections to close this chapel offer a helpful summary of his address: “I know only in part—only as if through a mirror dimly.  That means that anything I’ve shared with you is partly wrong, partly misguided.  I have tried in what I’ve shared…to be fair to various points of view.  But I’m sure you can read in my fallibilities that I am more connected with some ways of thinking Christ than others.  I think it’s important…as we think about clenched fists…not to equate the passionate holding to our beliefs, with the problem.  I don’t see that as a problem. I know that there are passionate views present here among our faculty, our staff, and our students.  And my dream is not that those passions would cease being articulated, and even advocated for.  My dream, rather, is that this could be a kind of demilitarized zone…a place where we don’t get shot, the moment we wade into points of disagreement and tension.  So I do pray that’s a piece of what we can experience [at Eastern Mennonite Seminary in 2012] in a world that so badly needs this Seminary, this University—to be in the thick of it all, but in the thick of it all in a peace-giving way. And I share that as a prelude to the blessing, because I’m so deeply moved by the music we’ve just heard and its tremendous balm of peace, and I’m struck by how quickly we shatter that experience of peace, the moment we go from sitting here singing it, to actually engaging it.  I pray there are ways to keep that peace, in the act of unclenching our fists and opening them up; but also being true to all our own beliefs.  If we can’t find a way to be passionate about what we believe, and also at peace with each other in the midst of that, then I don’t know a way forward. But if we can, then the way we were moved by our worship, and by the Spirit, precisely through our gathering here in the presence of the Spirit we have named on the command of Jesus, then I think we can become Eastern Mennonite Seminary as we’re called to be. So in that dream–Go in peace and all the work required and all the blessings that it can give us in the name of the Lord.  In that hope and in that prayer, I commend us to the new year.  Blessings.” The entire campus community is invited to every chapel worship service on campus. Eastern Mennonite Seminary hosts chapel gatherings in Martin Chapel every Tuesday and Thursday; EMU Campus Ministries hosts chapel gatherings every Wednesday and Friday in Lehman Auditorium. Specifics and occasional changes are noted in individual chapel listings.

In this week’s “Inside Athletics” podcast, Dave welcomes James back to the show after a summer off, and the two jump into short previews of each of the fall teams.  They also discuss an article in the local paper about changes in Virginia athletic practice rules, and how that is trickling down to more high school athletes specializing in one sport and the resulting diminishing roster sizes. Inside Athletics is a weekly podcast hosted by Director of Athletics, Dave King. The podcast offers a synopsis of what is happening in EMU athletics, but also delves deeper into how athletics at EMU shapes lives and enhances college educations by positively impacting an athlete’s understanding of self, others, and God. Sports Information Director James De Boer is a regular guest with EMU coaches and athletes making appearances as well.

In the final week of the summer, before fall athletes arrive for pre-season, Dave ties up loose ends on this weeks podcast, highlighting some of the preparatory work that has been going on in preparation for the upcoming school year.  He also re-caps the faculty staff conference and talks about creativity that exists in the world of sports, whether is be designing practices, recruiting a student athlete, developing strategy or creating team unity.  In a results-oriented society where we pay too much attention to the scoreboard, we often miss the beauty of the sport and the creativity that is a part of the game.  Dave also calls attention to two recent EMU alumni who will be honored by their high school as Young Alumni of the Year.  He also draws attention to his recent interview featured on Shaping Families. Inside Athletics is a weekly podcast hosted by Director of Athletics, Dave King. The podcast offers a synopsis of what is happening in EMU athletics, but also delves deeper into how athletics at EMU shapes lives and enhances college educations by positively impacting an athlete’s understanding of self, others, and God. Sports Information Director James De Boer is a regular guest with EMU coaches and athletes making appearances as well.

In this opening session of the annual Fall Faculty/Staff Conference, we welcomed Ted Swartz of Ted & Company to engage the theme,  Creativity in the University, taken from various places in the Eastern Mennonite University mission statement.  Ted is set to launch a new book, Laughter is Sacred Space next month.

This week, Dave’s special guest is new head women’s volleyball coach, Jeff Tyson.  Jeff comes from Elizabethtown, PA where he played high school volleyball before going to Indiana Wesleyan College.  While in college, he was the manger and volunteer assistant for the women’s volleyball program.  Following college, he served for a couple of years as the assistant coach for the women’s program.  Jeff outlines his plans to rebuild the program, talks about the types of student athletes he will be looking for and  where he might find them.  Dave also highlights several special events for the fall including Homecoming activities and a special event for the men’s soccer team of 1998. Inside Athletics is a weekly podcast hosted by Director of Athletics, Dave King. The podcast offers a synopsis of what is happening in EMU athletics, but also delves deeper into how athletics at EMU shapes lives and enhances college educations by positively impacting an athlete’s understanding of self, others, and God. Sports Information Director James De Boer is a regular guest with EMU coaches and athletes making appearances as well.

This week, Dave’s special guest is Ben Spotts, new head baseball coach.  Ben describes some of the elements of the success of the Bridgewater College baseball program where he has been involved for the pas 18 years as a player and coach.  He also discusses his ideas on what it takes to build a successful baseball program and lays out his plan for recruiting, a part of the program he was responsible for at Bridgewater.  Ben’s enthusiasm is demonstrated through his excitement when describing the local baseball scene and the types of players he intends to recruit. Inside Athletics is a weekly podcast hosted by Director of Athletics, Dave King. The podcast offers a synopsis of what is happening in EMU athletics, but also delves deeper into how athletics at EMU shapes lives and enhances college educations by positively impacting an athlete’s understanding of self, others, and God. Sports Information Director James De Boer is a regular guest with EMU coaches and athletes making appearances as well.

Dave’s guest this week is Mike Downey, head athletic trainer, who provides an update on concussions, highlighting the baseline testing that is done as well as the treatment protocols.  They discuss the impact on academics and the results of limited educational programs about concussions in youth sports programs. Inside Athletics is a weekly podcast hosted by Director of Athletics, Dave King. The podcast offers a synopsis of what is happening in EMU athletics, but also delves deeper into how athletics at EMU shapes lives and enhances college educations by positively impacting an athlete’s understanding of self, others, and God. Sports Information Director James De Boer is a regular guest with EMU coaches and athletes making appearances as well.

This week Dave introduces the new baseball coach Ben Spotts and reviews a newspaper column about the “lawn mower parent.” Inside Athletics is a weekly podcast hosted by Director of Athletics, Dave King. The podcast offers a synopsis of what is happening in EMU athletics, but also delves deeper into how athletics at EMU shapes lives and enhances college educations by positively impacting an athlete’s understanding of self, others, and God. Sports Information Director James De Boer is a regular guest with EMU coaches and athletes making appearances as well.

This week Dave focuses his thoughts on the summertime activities of many of the high school sports.  With many states giving unlimited privileges to coaches to work with their players during the out of season time, there seems to be a growth of individual and team camps along with clinics and showcases.  While these activities can be good fundraising activities for coaches and provide positive public relations for a university, they also adds to the issue of over-involvement on the part of high school coaches and players, increasing costs to parents and time away from family.  Dave encourages families to do their homework before selecting a camp, clinic or showcase for their son or daughter.  The ratio of instructors to campers, cost and facilities should all be taken into consideration when determining the types of summer involvement for their children.  Another consideration is the intensity level, particularly of the team camps.  If the coaches and parents are treating it like the regular season, the benefit to the player may be compromised.  The out-of-season activities can be a delicate path to navigate as you try to provide opportunities for your son or daughter to improve, while having a relaxed, enjoyable summer. Inside Athletics is a weekly podcast hosted by Director of Athletics, Dave King. The podcast offers a synopsis of what is happening in EMU athletics, but also delves deeper into how athletics at EMU shapes lives and enhances college educations by positively impacting an athlete’s understanding of self, others, and God. Sports Information Director James De Boer is a regular guest with EMU coaches and athletes making appearances as well.