BATON ROUGE — Over 20 of LSU’s student-athletes met with participants in the 4-H University in the Maravich Center on Wednesday evening as part of the Shaquille O’Neal CHAMPS/Life Skills program.
Members of the football, women’s basketball, volleyball, soccer, gymnastics and men’s and women’s golf teams met with about 1,500 participants in the 4-H University in the PMAC Auxiliary Gym, handed out posters, signed autographs and spoke with the children who were on campus for the three-day event.
Student-athletes participating included football players Matt Allen, Peter Dyakowski, Shawn Jordan, Steven Singleton and Mark Snyder; women’s basketball players Sylvia Fowles , Katie Antony, Ashley Thomas and Erica White; volleyball players Melody Clark, Vanessa Freeman , Lauren Leaumont, Elena Martinez and Daniela Romero; gymnasts Kristi Esposito, Teri Gibson, Lauren Klein , Kelly Phelan and Lisa Rennie; soccer players Leeza Iver, and Roslyn Jones, Joleen Phillips, Sara Pollock and Valerie Vogler; and golfers Alexis Rather and Chris Wells.
The 4-H University, formerly known as the 4-H Short Course, is meeting in Baton Rouge for the 92nd time. The participants from 63 parishes are participating in 44 contests, with six learning tracks, 18 educational programs and a variety of other activities during their three-day stay.
The theme for this year’s 4-H University is “Living the College Life,” and that is what the students will do during their four days and three nights on the LSU campus. Some of the goals of the event are to expose students to the many opportunities available through 4-H and to give them a taste of what college life is all about ? as well as insights into future career choices available at LSU or other universities.
One new component incorporated into this year’s events will be a tour of the LSU campus to see the facilities that are available to students attending LSU. Students will also be able to participate in a workshop that gives details on a variety of aspects related to college life ? including living in dormitories, class scheduling, degree opportunities and financial aid options.
The CHAMPS (Challenging Athletes Minds for Personal Success)/Life Skills Program was designed by the NCAA to help student-athletes realize higher academic achievement, increase likelihood of graduation and enter a chosen profession with a higher level of vision, knowledge, motivation, self-responsibility and greater overall success. In Spring 2003, the CHAMPS/ Life Skills Program honored one of LSU’s most memorable graduates, Shaquille O’Neal, by naming the program after him.