Bucknell University Athletics
Photo by: Sam Miller
Kevin Flynn Represents Patriot League at NCAA Student-Athlete Leadership Forum
4/23/2019 11:31:00 AM | Men's Swimming and Diving, Student-Athlete Enrichment
LEWISBURG, Pa. -- Kevin Flynn, a sophomore on the Bucknell men's swimming and diving team, was one of two Patriot League student-athletes selected to participate in the NCAA Student-Athlete Leadership Forum, which was held last week in Orlando. The annual event provides an opportunity for student-athletes to connect across divisions, sports and institutions. It is based on experiential learning experiences geared toward personal leadership growth.
At the Leadership Forum, student-athletes are divided into color teams to do theme specific programs and activities, and the participants also heard from inspirational speakers and NCAA staff. This year, participants dove into topics including:Â
"I learned a lot over the course of my four-day experience at the 2019 NCAA Student-Athlete Leadership Forum," said Flynn, who competes in the backstroke events. "I will definitely bring back the first-hand experience from a speaker at the event by the name of Daron Roberts. Daron, a graduate from Harvard Law School, saw his journey take a turn when he decided to take a shot and email all 32 head NFL coaches. That resulted in Kansas City Chiefs head coach Herm Edwards giving him a job as a training camp intern with absolutely zero coaching experience. Daron's main point was that he worked up the ranks to get to the point of eventually being a defensive backs coach with the Detroit Lions.
"'The more you put yourself in rejection's way, the better you handle rejection', Daron told us. I would bring back this quote again and again to our team. We can not be afraid to fail. From many failures, we get closer and closer to success. So if we are afraid to put ourselves in position to fail, we are really afraid to put ourselves in position to succeed. Throughout life, people have and will fail more times than they succeed. We need to understand our failures and use what we learned from failure to succeed.
"I am very thankful I was given this opportunity from [Bucknell senior associate AD] Jen Kentera, [Patriot League director of compliance and sport management] Lynn Hughes, and the NCAA," said Flynn. "I thought I knew a lot about leadership entering the Forum, but what was very interesting about it was hearing student-athletes and coaches from all over the country, divisions one, two, and three. Hearing how other people's leadership philosophies, core values, and emotional intelligence differ from mine was an eye-opener and quite intriguing."
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At the Leadership Forum, student-athletes are divided into color teams to do theme specific programs and activities, and the participants also heard from inspirational speakers and NCAA staff. This year, participants dove into topics including:Â
- personal values
- self-awareness of strengthsÂ
- working through conflict in conversation
- emotional intelligence
- personal leadership philosophy
- mental health
- healthy relationships
"I learned a lot over the course of my four-day experience at the 2019 NCAA Student-Athlete Leadership Forum," said Flynn, who competes in the backstroke events. "I will definitely bring back the first-hand experience from a speaker at the event by the name of Daron Roberts. Daron, a graduate from Harvard Law School, saw his journey take a turn when he decided to take a shot and email all 32 head NFL coaches. That resulted in Kansas City Chiefs head coach Herm Edwards giving him a job as a training camp intern with absolutely zero coaching experience. Daron's main point was that he worked up the ranks to get to the point of eventually being a defensive backs coach with the Detroit Lions.
"'The more you put yourself in rejection's way, the better you handle rejection', Daron told us. I would bring back this quote again and again to our team. We can not be afraid to fail. From many failures, we get closer and closer to success. So if we are afraid to put ourselves in position to fail, we are really afraid to put ourselves in position to succeed. Throughout life, people have and will fail more times than they succeed. We need to understand our failures and use what we learned from failure to succeed.
"I am very thankful I was given this opportunity from [Bucknell senior associate AD] Jen Kentera, [Patriot League director of compliance and sport management] Lynn Hughes, and the NCAA," said Flynn. "I thought I knew a lot about leadership entering the Forum, but what was very interesting about it was hearing student-athletes and coaches from all over the country, divisions one, two, and three. Hearing how other people's leadership philosophies, core values, and emotional intelligence differ from mine was an eye-opener and quite intriguing."
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Players Mentioned
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