Summary of March 2007 LOOF Conference

Conference photo gallery

Promoting youth leadership development has always been the mission of the Kansas Youth Leadership Academy, but recently it developed a new method for reaching its audience: through the influence of high school student athletes.

On March 27th & 28th, nearly 200 high school student athletes, coaches, athletic directors, and sponsors from 26 schools attended the inaugural Leadership on & off the field: leadership development for the student athlete conference at the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame in Wichita. Each participant attended five sessions that included hands-on applications and discussion centering on the themes: leadership concepts and skills, competition and sportsmanship, team dynamics, character development, and active citizenship. Within each session was a team competition element focusing on the theme of that session.

Conference speakers included former Kansas State University Head Football Coach Bill Snyder, former collegiate and professional baseball player and Target Corporation executive, Will Baker, and founder of Students Against Driving Drunk (SADD), former professional football player and high school coach, Bob Anastas. Each speaker addressed his audience from the stage of the Warren Theatre in Wichita’s Old Town.

“I tell kids ‘I am giving you a formula to follow. If you do what I tell you, colleges will break down doors to get you. You’ll be more than athletes and students; you’ll be good people who are also athletes,’” said Anastas.

Coach Snyder recounted personal family experiences, telling the audience, “It takes perseverance and persistence to reach your goals. My daughter (who was involved in a drunk driving accident as a passenger and declared paralyzed for life from the neck down) showed amazing persistence. Today she not only walks on her own, but she owns and operates two businesses.”

Will Baker, who typically speaks to business executives and college students, altered his message to relate to the younger crowd. Baker admits that although he strives to create a diverse team of employees, he tries to recruit a fair share of former athletes. “They have drive, determination and multitasking skills it takes to be successful in this business,” he said. “And they learn it on the field.”

Bringing a dramatic end to the conference, KYLA presented their recently-developed video titled “The Call for True Champions” urging the youth to take action and volunteer in their communities.

“The conference changed my life and the lives of the students,” said Roxanne Whaley, business teacher at Junction City High School. “The messages from the speakers were truly amazing…It was a great, great conference. It was definitely a foundation to build and expand from.”

Student comments about topic sessions:

“It really hit hard on how much influence we have. Sometimes you can think, ‘Oh, they won’t care this one time,’ but as a leader everything counts all the time.”

“That deep down is what matters. People will remember you more for the person you are than the athlete you were.”

“I need to give back to my community since they have put so much into me.”

“Leadership is not a quality you display in just certain situations. A true leader displays this quality everyday. No, it’s not easy, but it sure can be very rewarding. True leaders think every decision through and try to make a good one.”

“I will make it a goal to be a leader even when my day is going wrong. I came to the conference because people respected me for my qualities and I need to get better at using them.”

“The big things that I took from this is the saying, ‘athletes are the front porch of your school’ which is so true, and that leadership is stressful. I feel overwhelmed sometimes with all the activities I am involved in, and that’s ok.”

Sponsor comments about the conference:

“They learned that they are not alone. There are some great individuals out there who are very positive role models. They can use what they learned to help others make better decisions.”

“Both the character development and active citizenship sessions showed my students they are able to do so much more. The possibilities are endless!”

“The conference covered more than just sports. We discussed citizenship, etc. that will be with the students for the rest of their lives.”

“Our students were able to share experiences with others who face similar challenges and this reinforced the message to do what is right.”

“Best trip yet! Enjoyed being with other leaders from Kansas.”