Spider Leadership Initiative Launches Semester With Leadership Immersion Event
01/27/2023 | General, Spiders in the Community, Academic Services, Spider Leadership, Spider Voices, Spider Performance
RICHMOND, Va. — The Spider Athletics Leadership Initiative kicked off its spring semester programming with a full-day Leadership Immersion event on January 16.
The group, consisting of 20 current student-athletes as well as Spider Athletics staff, began the day on campus with breakfast and a round of icebreakers to prepare themselves for the day's agenda, which centered around an excursion to downtown Richmond.
The group first traveled to the Arthur Ashe monument at the intersection of Roseneath Road and Monument Avenue in the Museum District. Standing in front of the statue of Ashe, a three-time Grand Slam champion and Civil Rights activist, Associate AD for Academic Support and Student Services Bruce Matthews spoke about Ashe's legacy and his commitment to service, highlighting how successful leadership often involves supporting others.
A visit to the former site of the Abraham Lincoln state at the Tredegar Iron Works gave the group the opportunity to discuss how effective leadership isn't stagnant but evolves over time. Avoiding complacency and focusing on continuing along one's own leadership journey are critical steps to becoming a champion leader.
The group was then asked to walk across the T. Tyler Potterfield Memorial Bridge in silence while reflecting on their answers to four questions:
"My favorite part about the Leadership Immersion was walking across Memorial Bridge and taking time to think about my morals," said Angelo Rankin, a sophomore defensive back for Richmond Football. "I also took time to think about the things that I want to improve on in my life and in football."
"My favorite part was our silent walk across the bridge in which we thought about our core leadership values. It was inspiring to share the moving parts of my leadership compass with new faces and to also hear their stories and values," said Emma Shields, a freshman midfielder for Spiders Soccer.
The group then returned to Richmond's campus for lunch and an exercise with Squad U, an assessment tool that helps identify the unique individual strengths of student-athletes.
Coordinator of Student-Athlete Leadership Development & Engagement Jaide Hinds-Clarke also led the group through a "Next Season Vision Mapping" session, where the student-athletes drew, wrote, then shared their visions for their next athletic seasons and began to brainstorm actionable steps they would need to take to achieve their visions. Each student-athlete was also tasked with writing a letter of gratitude to someone in their life they wanted to thank for supporting them throughout their leadership journey.
In addition to its ongoing programming, Spider Leadership's next major event will be the Alumni Achievement Awards, held in the Queally Athletics Center on February 11.
The group, consisting of 20 current student-athletes as well as Spider Athletics staff, began the day on campus with breakfast and a round of icebreakers to prepare themselves for the day's agenda, which centered around an excursion to downtown Richmond.
The group first traveled to the Arthur Ashe monument at the intersection of Roseneath Road and Monument Avenue in the Museum District. Standing in front of the statue of Ashe, a three-time Grand Slam champion and Civil Rights activist, Associate AD for Academic Support and Student Services Bruce Matthews spoke about Ashe's legacy and his commitment to service, highlighting how successful leadership often involves supporting others.
A visit to the former site of the Abraham Lincoln state at the Tredegar Iron Works gave the group the opportunity to discuss how effective leadership isn't stagnant but evolves over time. Avoiding complacency and focusing on continuing along one's own leadership journey are critical steps to becoming a champion leader.
The group was then asked to walk across the T. Tyler Potterfield Memorial Bridge in silence while reflecting on their answers to four questions:
- Who do you want to be as a leader?
- What are you hungry for?
- What is important to you?
- What do you want your legacy to be?
"My favorite part about the Leadership Immersion was walking across Memorial Bridge and taking time to think about my morals," said Angelo Rankin, a sophomore defensive back for Richmond Football. "I also took time to think about the things that I want to improve on in my life and in football."
"My favorite part was our silent walk across the bridge in which we thought about our core leadership values. It was inspiring to share the moving parts of my leadership compass with new faces and to also hear their stories and values," said Emma Shields, a freshman midfielder for Spiders Soccer.
The group then returned to Richmond's campus for lunch and an exercise with Squad U, an assessment tool that helps identify the unique individual strengths of student-athletes.
Coordinator of Student-Athlete Leadership Development & Engagement Jaide Hinds-Clarke also led the group through a "Next Season Vision Mapping" session, where the student-athletes drew, wrote, then shared their visions for their next athletic seasons and began to brainstorm actionable steps they would need to take to achieve their visions. Each student-athlete was also tasked with writing a letter of gratitude to someone in their life they wanted to thank for supporting them throughout their leadership journey.
In addition to its ongoing programming, Spider Leadership's next major event will be the Alumni Achievement Awards, held in the Queally Athletics Center on February 11.
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