BLACKSBURG – Summer break is a time for most college students to relax and unwind before another academic year begins, but a small group of Virginia Tech student-athletes have chosen to spend the final days of their summer traveling to Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Ten student-athletes from seven varsity teams, along with three athletics staff members, will depart Blacksburg on Thursday for a unique experience to visit and learn from some of the "best of the best" in the United States. The six-day domestic leadership retreat is a new initiative within the Virginia Tech Athletics Leadership Institute, which has traveled abroad with students for the previous seven years, but has yet to take advantage of the value a domestic trip holds until this year. The group will be led by the Leadership Institute staff: Danny White (senior associate AD), Dr. Gary Bennett (sports psychology), and Shelby Miller (director of student-athlete development).
During the four days in Colorado Springs, the group will visit the U.S. Air Force Academy and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Training Center, as well as two Colorado Springs area hikes and a day trip to explore Denver. The Virginia Tech Athletics Leadership Institute staff also will have an on-site leadership training for the group with the theme: "Habits of Excellence." Through this training and the experiential elements of visiting the Air Force Academy and the Olympic and Paralympic Training Center, these student-athlete leaders will return to campus ready to impact their teams and the athletics department in a positive manner.
Molly Sheffield, a junior on the women's swimming and diving team, is one of the 10 student-athletes in the group.
"Having the opportunity to grow as a leader by seeing how some of the top-level leaders got to where they are and how they are successful will be something that we can bring back to Tech to improve our teams and create an atmosphere that will help us achieve our goals at the highest level," she said.
To follow their experience, follow @VTSADevelopment on Twitter and Instagram.
