By Jill A. Duling
On any given wintry, Saturday afternoon in Bluffton’s Founders Hall, popcorn, chatter and for some, nostalgia, waft through the air. You cannot help but notice the multigenerational crowd that has gathered for a single purpose—to cheer the Beavers basketball team on to victory.
With the cares of the world seemingly left in the parking lots, the crowd watches Bluffton University student-athletes compete. As they cheer, few realize that they are not only watching athletes, but students, sons, daughters, husbands, wives, friends and future professionals, not to mention capable and contributing members of society. On the court, the diamond, the track, the field and in the classroom, Bluffton University student-athletes are just what their titles say they are—students who happen to be athletes.
For Jenna Liechty, a junior from Goshen, Ind., choosing to play tennis her freshman year meant learning to manage a very full schedule. Subtracting time devoted to class, work, practice, homework, eating and sleeping, Liechty has just a few minutes of free time each day to spend doing absolutely nothing, and she wouldn’t change that for the world.
“In the beginning, when I first started playing tennis, I was concerned that I wouldn’t have time for everything—studies, social life and athletics,” says Liechty. “It’s actually easier to balance time when I’m in season then when I’m not. My days are much more structured.”
Knowing she wanted to attend a liberal arts school with a strong business program, Liechty settled on Bluffton. She had played tennis for several years and naturally leaned toward continuing the sport.
Liechty found Bluffton’s tennis team to be a perfect fit for her. With Bluffton’s small size and National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III affiliation, she knew she would be able to play based on her desire to participate, not solely her athletic ability.
“Athletics at a Division III institution like Bluffton isn’t exactly ‘the tail that wags the dog,’” says Dr. J. Denny Weaver, professor of religion and faculty athletics representative. “Athletics fill out the educational experience and provide an appropriate setting for students to learn about themselves.”
Because Division III programs do not provide athletics scholarships, students find themselves playing because they can, focusing first on education all the while gaining invaluable experience that they carry with them when they graduate.
“We want to have competitive athletics teams,” says Bluffton University Athletics Director Phillip Talavinia, “but make no mistake, every coach here would be the first to tell a student-athlete, ‘You’re here to get an education,’ and if you look at the grade point averages of many of our teams, you’ll see what a great job our student-athletes are doing in the classroom.” In fact, three Bluffton teams— women’s cross country, women’s track and softball—were chosen as 2004-05 Academic All-Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference selections meaning students maintained a 3.25 GPA throughout their respective seasons. Thirty-eight students were individually recognized for their academic accomplishments.
Shaping well-rounded students
Not only does Liechty (herself an Academic-All Conference award recipient) get a chance to play at the collegiate level, but her coaching staff recognizes the importance of being involved in other activities and makes allowances accordingly.
“The great thing about Bluffton is that I’ve been able to play tennis and perform in the choir even though practice times conflict,” says Liechty. On many days, Liechty goes to choir for an hour and then heads to tennis practice. Often, a coach will stay late to hit with her. The fact that she doesn’t have to decide which activity is more important makes Bluffton all the more alluring.
“We have 40 student organizations, 16 intercollegiate athletics teams and nine intramural sports,” says Dr. Eric Fulcomer, vice president for enrollment management and student life. “Bluffton has a lot of student organizations and not a lot of students, so the vast majority are involved in one or more outside-of-class activities.” About half of the traditional student body, or 450 students, participate in intramural sports. Nearly 30 percent (250 students) are intercollegiate athletes, a level of participation the university embraces wholeheartedly.
“More than one third of our incoming students each year are athletes,” says Fulcomer. “This past year, 34 percent of incoming students—first year and transfer—were athletes. The athletics program is a major part of our recruitment effort.” This is because a significant number of students choose Bluffton anticipating they will participate in sports. Even though Liechty enjoys playing tennis, she does not measure her achievements by it. “I don’t define myself as a tennis player,” she says. “I’m a college student studying business. Tennis is simply something I do on the side.” And that is just the way Bluffton University wants its students to view athletics.
“We want our students to receive well-rounded, insightful educations that will help them to be better citizens and better community leaders,” says Tami Forbes, health, physical education and recreation department chair. “We want them to reflect the university’s mission statement, particularly when it says ‘prepared for vocation, for responsible citizenship, for service to all peoples and for the purposes of God’s universal kingdom.’ Athletics is one way in which we live our mission here at Bluffton.”
Weaver likens what students learn in athletics to what they learn in a classroom. “In education, when I take a test and don’t perform well, how am I going to respond?” Weaver asks. “Do I blame someone else or myself because I didn’t study? Taking a test is much like playing a game. If there isn’t a chance for failure, what would be the point in doing it?” Athletics teaches students about character and how to deal with challenge, competition, success and failure.
Whether performing on the tennis court or paying attention in class, Liechty says there is much overlap in being a student and an athlete. The ideas behind being committed to a team, getting an education, working hard in the off-season and being competitive in general carry over to the classroom and eventually to getting a job.
“Athletics say a lot about an institution,” says Liechty. “They go beyond the classroom and getting a liberal arts education to the development of the total person.” Being a part of a team promotes balance, dedication and cooperation, all of which are valuable attributes Liechty says she will carry with her when she graduates.
A foundation for the future
A former Bluffton football and baseball athlete, Tom Reichenbach ’58 says that while education was the main reason he went to college, participating in sports taught him teamwork and camaraderie, both extremely important in the business world. He found his athletics experience to be useful in his work in employee benefits at Lincoln National Life Insurance Co., in Fort Wayne, Ind.
“Athletics are a great way to bring students together,” says Reichenbach. “They build tremendous character and a foundation for future life and success.” Now retired, Reichenbach avidly follows the Beavers and continues to maintain relationships with teammates that began many years ago on Bluffton’s campus.
Becky (Reineke ’98) Boblitt, a teacher at McComb High School in McComb, Ohio, came to Bluffton because it had a strong education program, and she wanted her family to be able to watch her continue her basketball career. She says her experience as a college athlete definitely contributed to her receiving Blanchard Valley Conference, Northwest Ohio and All-Ohio coach of the year honors in 2003 for her work with McComb’s women’s basketball team.
“Being on a team taught me a lot about myself as an individual and how to relate to others, in addition to work ethic and discipline,” says Boblitt. “Having been an athlete helped prepare me for relating to the students I teach and coach.” Taking some time off from coaching to raise two small children, Boblitt continues living her love of athletics through her husband, Todd ’99, who coaches junior varsity basketball at Findlay High School in Findlay, Ohio.
Opportunityof a lifetime
When it comes to measuring athletic success, we rarely think of “taking time off ” as a way to achieve more personal success. But for Liechty, who defines success as being who she is to her full potential and finding meaningful ways to use her gifts and talents, taking time off from tennis allowed her to do just that.
This past fall, Liechty was given a chance to expand upon her potential with an opportunity of a lifetime—a semester in Northern Ireland—as a part of Bluffton’s cross-cultural program. The tennis season occurred during that same semester, but Liechty did not think long before making her decision.
“I saw a semester abroad as a chance to step away from my surroundings and look at the world a little differently,” says Liechty. “It crossed my mind that it was during tennis, but I was able to give that up. I figured I had played for seven years, I could give up one semester,” she says with a laugh. She could forgo one semester of tennis, but not an entire four years.
“Sports have been a significant part of my life, and the unity they bring to campus and community alike … it would be difficult to imagine Bluffton without them,” says Liechty.
For those gathered in Founders Hall on a Saturday afternoon, the thought of Bluffton without an athletics program probably never crosses their mind. Gathered for what seems like a single purpose—to cheer on the Beavers—the audience of family, friends, faculty and alumni unknowingly does more than just applaud the efforts of the athletes. The crowd applauds the students behind the athletes, the coaches and professors who have helped mold the students, and the institution that has made it all possible.
