Sun Devil Club Letterwinners

I trust this message finds you well! This time of year, brings back so many positive memories of my time here as a student-athlete. Having an opportunity to visit with a lot of my former teammates who traveled back to support our current program is amazing. Reminiscing with my football alum made me reflect on some of the things I've learned as a result of my student-athlete experience.
The lessons I learned as a Sun Devil student-athlete are priceless. Here are a few things being a student- athlete taught me that I use every day:

1. Self-discipline - Your self-discipline has to be stronger than your feelings because your feelings will betray your goals. It taught me to evaluate what I want now versus what I want most. Delaying gratification can be worthwhile because the reward later is oftentimes so much greater. As an athlete, I learned that talent is sometimes overrated and discipline can be extremely underrated.

2. Adversity - How you process adversity will determine your success. Pressure and adversity will cause some individuals to break, and others to break records. Competing taught me that it's not if, but when I experience adversity, I have the power to decide how I respond.

3. Accountability - "The big eye in the sky doesn't lie." That's what we called the overhead cameras that filmed practices and games. It captures both your good and bad plays. There was nothing worse than the anxiety of being in film with coaches knowing a poor play of yours was about to be dissected and corrected in front of your peers. This forced accountability.

4. How to lead - The most important thing is being authentic and being true to your identity. The true measure of leadership is influence. A leader is great not because of his or her power but because of their ability to empower others. I learned when I helped my teammates grow personally, I earned their loyalty.

5. How to follow - With the lack of respect for others we consistently see in our news, the ability to follow great leadership is extremely important. Before you can lead, you must first humble yourself and learn how to follow. I had to learn when to stand up for something or someone and when to let the coaches do their job. 

6. Communication - Being a part of a team taught me the importance of communication. Communication builds trust, Trust leads to commitment, Commitment fosters teamwork and Teamwork delivers results.

My five years at ASU allowed me to develop lifelong lessons and friendships which helped mold me into the person I am today. As Letterwinners, we all have our own experiences which contribute to the affinity we have to our Alma Mater. I hope your student-athlete experience was as rewarding as mine and I hope we can continue to provide a memorable and first-class experience for current student-athletes and the Sun Devils of tomorrow.
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