Thanksgiving

Can you smell the turkey already? I am beginning to prepare myself for two separate family Thanksgivings and this will take an extreme amount of intestinal fortitude!

This time of year is very special as we appreciate all we have been given and are able to look back to give thanks. As we reflect on how the year has gone, the impact we have made, the challenges we have faced and what lies ahead for us, we should be quite proud of what we have achieved.

For me, the best way to give thanks is in my annual Thanksgiving thank-you list, so here goes.

I am thankful for  . . .

• the senior student-athletes who have given the last four years of the life to represent the Green and Gold in such a high manner.
• Freshman student-athletes who come in to help make a difference not only on their team, but in the community and on campus . . .future leaders.
• Friends of the program who believe in what we are doing with their generous contributions to the Bobcat Club and facility enhancements, without you our competitive advantage would fade.
• Bobcat Bank and the folks who inhabit it on game nights, you are a clever bunch of passionate students.
• The new and improved cheerleaders, who have brought a new energy to Williams Gymnasium for basketball games.
• New coaches, their desire to make a difference and impact a young person’s life is humbling.
• Assistant coaches, they pay their dues to make a program better.
• Athletic trainers, because not everyone plays sports without injuries.
• Dining services, as they keep our young people fed and full of energy with healthy food options at home and on the road.
• An admissions staff that works with us to make sure we are all bringing in the best fit Lees-McRae student-athlete.
• An understanding faculty, who realizes that 45% of the student body participates in intercollegiate athletics and allows for success in and out of the classroom.
• The smell of a weight room, you can sense the hard work and dedication it takes to be successful at this level.
• A laundry room after a weekend of athletic activities, keeping our uniforms and practice gear clean and professional looking.
• A sports information director who can stat every sport with ease and makes sure the masses know the result quickly.
• A game day operations manager who sets up for every home event knowing each time it will be someone’s first impression.
• A custodial staff who takes time every day to make sure we are as clean as can be for anyone we might be hosting.
• The work study who becomes the ball boy on a cold, windy and wet Thursday night for a soccer game.
• A grounds crew who keeps our fields manageable and safe for practices and competition.
• The sounds of the indoor tennis court late at night, young people perfecting their game.
• A heated indoor swimming pool, it gives a 2-yr old a place to burn energy, and an 80-yr old a place to swim laps.
• A paved parking lot. Talk about first impressions.
• The views from home plate of the softball field. Talk about giving thanks for where we are located.
• Early morning frost, the majestic beauty on the mountain tops.
• Sounds of the shoes squeaking on the gym floor, whistles blasting, coaches teaching. Progress.
• The CATS program, challenging athletes to success, and insuring strong grade point averages.
• Previous, current and future coaches, because the responsibility is great and love greater.
• Previous, current and future student-athletes, because the bar has been set!
• The Bobcat Club and what it represents, because you help us get better!

Happy Thanksgiving,

Craig