Bucknell University Athletics
Mike Lansing, Pat Long Put a Wrap on USNA Leadership Conference
1/31/2013 7:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Jan. 30, 2013
Three Bison student-athletes traveled to Annapolis, Md., for the United States Naval Academy Leadership Conference, which wrapped up on Wednesday afternoon. All-Patriot League fullback Travis Friend of the football team, Jennifer Fish of women's rowing, and men's soccer goalkeeper Mike Lansing joined assistant men's soccer coach Pat Long at the three-day conference.
Mike and Coach Long check in below to put a wrap on the week's events. Click HERE to read Mike's review of the group's arrival in Annapolis, click HERE to read Jennifer's recap of Monday's seminar, and HERE to check out Travis' summary of Tuesday's docket.
January 30, 2013
Words cannot amount to how much this conference has affected me. It was one of the most inspirational seminars that I have had the honor to be a part of, and I am glad that I am going to be able to use a lot of what I learned.
Unfortunately, the conference came to an end today, but it did end on a high note. We started our day off in a breakout session to discuss the previous night's panel and how to overcome failure. How do we get back on our feet after such a dramatic failure or a major setback? This is a question that many people do not have the answer to, but we had the privilege of meeting a Paralympic Gold Medalist swimmer. His name is Lt. Bradley Snyder of the United States Navy. He was blinded by an IED in Afghanistan. Now, I thought to myself, “If I had been in that situation, I would have been devastated and would be extremely depressed.” He was resilient, put his disability aside, and decided to grab life by the horns. He landed himself in the Paralympics as a swimmer and is one of the few people that could tell us what it was like to have your nation's anthem playing in front of the entire world in your honor.
After the brief breakout session, we were honored to be in the presence of Lt. Gen. Sattler. He was a man who stressed to his listeners to be servant leaders. This is where you can distinguish the difference between being selfish and being selfless. Learn to put others before yourself; take care of your people before taking care of yourself. “Leadership is taking out 'I' and 'me' and replacing them with 'we' and 'they'” he said.
This conference has blown my mind and I am honored to have been a part of such a prestigious conference. To be in the presence of such intelligent speakers and such amazing people was truly remarkable, and their stories will always be on my mind. I learned that it takes a great leader to take “bold action in the face of adversity” and that was what this conference was all about. Stop saying, “I wish I could have done more.” “Stand up, even if you stand alone.” Be motivational, be a mentor, be inspiring, help others, be courageous, be able to make decisions, keep your moral values, and above all, be a leader.
-- Mike Lansing 16
The 2013 U.S. Naval Academy Leadership Conference left many lasting impressions on the four of us. Our Bucknell constituency came away from Annapolis with pages upon pages of notes. We heard from the roughly 30 speakers over the three days as they discussed the theme of Courageous Leadership: Bold Action in the Face of Adversity. Each speaker delved into personal experiences in which their leadership was called upon. Some led successfully and some failed. From their successes and failures it is clear that their lessons were rudimentary in the notion that leadership is about facing adversity with confidence and a strong moral character.
The overall experience was memorable and educational. Our three student-athletes conducted themselves well and proudly represented Bucknell. We comprehensively enjoyed the conference and must pass along some thank yous.
The Naval Academy is a pristine place that opened its doors to us, and the Midshipmen acted as gracious hosts. The Division of Leadership Education and Development at the USNA thoroughly executed a fascinating conference for over 50 schools and organizations! The conference would not have happened without the generous sponsorship from Linda and Mitch Hart and the USNA Class of 1938.
On behalf of Jennifer Fish, Mike Lansing, Travis Friend and myself we would like to thank Mr. John Hardt, Mrs. Maisha Kelly, and the Bucknell Bison Leadership Academy. Many thanks go out to Mr. Jon Terry in Athletic Communications for helping us “blog” about our happenings during the conference. Also, we wish to pass along our gratitude to our three head coaches: Coach Stephen Kish, Coach Joe Susan and Coach Brendan Nash. Overall, this experience was extremely valuable, and we appreciate your work as leaders.
Go Bison!
Coach Pat Long
Men's Soccer
