Big Life Series Highlights Summer Service
08/03/24 | O Heroes, BEOREGON
A handful of UO student-athletes participated in development opportunities this summer through the Big Ten Conference.
While the first intercollegiate athletics competition for Oregon student-athletes in the Big Ten is yet to come later this summer, members of the UO athletics department already have begun experiencing the benefits of the Ducks' new conference affiliation.
Student-athletes from Oregon have participated in two events in the "Big Life Series" of development opportunities this summer. A quartet of Ducks participated in the series' "Agricultural Experience" in late June, and two weeks later another quartet of Ducks traveled to Alabama for the "Selma to Montgomery" event. UO senior associate athletic director and chief diversity officer Da'Mon Merkerson attended both events, and senior associate athletic director Jody Sykes was on the trip to Alabama.
The Agricultural Experience saw 28 student-athletes and 14 administrators from Big Ten schools travel to Iowa from June 25-27. Participants learned about careers in farming, and elements of the agricultural field relating to such topics as sustainability and diversity.
The quartet of student-athletes representing Oregon included Remmington Hewitt and Kai Luschar from softball, Austin Novosad from football and Hannah Seubert from track and field.
"I've always been very interested in agriculture — especially the produce side — but I was able to see the cattle business, lumber business and many other aspects of the farming industry that were life-changing," Luschar said. "I left more knowledgable and having a clearer vision of my future. I would love to produce quality food for myself, and eventually my community."
Upon arrival in Iowa, the participants heard a presentation from former Wisconsin student-athlete Marcus Carpenter about issues of diversity in farming. The trip also included a visit to Kroul Farms, owned and operated by former Iowa student-athlete Matt Kroul.
The Selma to Montgomery experience in early July was attended by 125 student-athletes representing all 18 Big Ten schools, including the UO quartet of Seubert, Morgan Good from acrobatics and tumbling, Josh Simmons from football and Bella Gamache from volleyball and beach volleyball. Selma to Montgomery was the route for a series of marches in 1965 organized to encourage voting rights for the Black community.
The trip began with visits to a series of museums, including the Rosa Parks Museum and the Freedom Riders Museum. Participants heard from a series of keynote speakers, stuffed back-to-school backpacks for local children and walked across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, where Civil Rights activists were beaten by local law enforcement at the end of the "Bloody Sunday" march in 1965.
Oregon's move to the Big Ten has sparked excitement about the future for UO athletics in the competitive sphere, but the "Big Life Series" illustrates the opportunities it will provide educationally as well.
"I created connections with many different athletes throughout the Big Ten, and it was clear how important quality relationships are to the conference," Luschar said. "The experience excited me for the big change."
Student-athletes from Oregon have participated in two events in the "Big Life Series" of development opportunities this summer. A quartet of Ducks participated in the series' "Agricultural Experience" in late June, and two weeks later another quartet of Ducks traveled to Alabama for the "Selma to Montgomery" event. UO senior associate athletic director and chief diversity officer Da'Mon Merkerson attended both events, and senior associate athletic director Jody Sykes was on the trip to Alabama.
The Agricultural Experience saw 28 student-athletes and 14 administrators from Big Ten schools travel to Iowa from June 25-27. Participants learned about careers in farming, and elements of the agricultural field relating to such topics as sustainability and diversity.
The quartet of student-athletes representing Oregon included Remmington Hewitt and Kai Luschar from softball, Austin Novosad from football and Hannah Seubert from track and field.
"I've always been very interested in agriculture — especially the produce side — but I was able to see the cattle business, lumber business and many other aspects of the farming industry that were life-changing," Luschar said. "I left more knowledgable and having a clearer vision of my future. I would love to produce quality food for myself, and eventually my community."
Upon arrival in Iowa, the participants heard a presentation from former Wisconsin student-athlete Marcus Carpenter about issues of diversity in farming. The trip also included a visit to Kroul Farms, owned and operated by former Iowa student-athlete Matt Kroul.
The Selma to Montgomery experience in early July was attended by 125 student-athletes representing all 18 Big Ten schools, including the UO quartet of Seubert, Morgan Good from acrobatics and tumbling, Josh Simmons from football and Bella Gamache from volleyball and beach volleyball. Selma to Montgomery was the route for a series of marches in 1965 organized to encourage voting rights for the Black community.
The trip began with visits to a series of museums, including the Rosa Parks Museum and the Freedom Riders Museum. Participants heard from a series of keynote speakers, stuffed back-to-school backpacks for local children and walked across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, where Civil Rights activists were beaten by local law enforcement at the end of the "Bloody Sunday" march in 1965.
Oregon's move to the Big Ten has sparked excitement about the future for UO athletics in the competitive sphere, but the "Big Life Series" illustrates the opportunities it will provide educationally as well.
"I created connections with many different athletes throughout the Big Ten, and it was clear how important quality relationships are to the conference," Luschar said. "The experience excited me for the big change."
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