Scots Begin 2005-06 With Team-Building Experience
ALMA, Mich. - It has been no easy journey for Alma College men’s basketball Ed Kohtala, but the tides are beginning to turn and Kohtala and the Scots look to the 2005-06 season for gratification for the hours of hard work, practice and lifting that have gone into making the Scots threats in the MIAA race.But after spending time at the Division I level as an assistant coach, Kohtala realizes that he is not only preparing a team for its season, but also men for life beyond college.
To start the season, Kohtala invited Earnie Fingers, Ph.D., to spend several days with the team in conducting team-building exercises. The Maroon and Cream began official practices on Oct. 15 and have been moving along steadily since then. With Alma’s fall break Oct. 19-23 and the team remaining on campus for practices, Fingers imparted his message to the team over the course of three days.
“The student-athlete experience really is different,” stated Fingers. “I try to help the students to see that they make choices - they choose to go to practice, games and make time for their sport. There is a balance to being a student-athlete, but it is rewarding in so many ways.”
Fingers completed his undergraduate work at Hampton University in Hampton, Va., with a degree in psychology and went on to receive his Masters in counseling and community psychology. In August 2005, he completed his Ph.D. work in Educational Administration at Michigan State University with an emphasis on athletics.
“At Alma, unlike a larger school, many of the students already have the bigger picture in mind, but students and athletes everywhere sometimes forget the control they have over their experience. Alma students continue to enjoy sport the same as someone at a higher level, but they continue to develop other skills,” said Fingers.
“I tell them this is not just some ride at an amusement park where they are along for the ride, but a life and an experience they must take responsibility for. They have to take responsibility and ownership of their college experience. Sometimes all it takes is someone telling them that they have control, reminding them of the notion of personal time management and responsibility in their education.”
“My main goal is to get these student-athletes thinking about how much control they really do have so at the end of their college experience, they aren’t sitting around wondering, ‘what happened?’.”
Alma begins its season Nov. 18-19 at the Wabash Tournament in Wabash, Ind.
Posted: Wed, October 26th, 2005 at 5:05PM
