Student Comments | Student Athletes Speak Out

Below are West Virginia University Students' comments about the Spring presentation of Student Athletes Speak Out held on March 20, 2012.

Speakers	Sports	Speech Titles
Shawne Alston	Football	Not Captured in the Past
Isaiah Bruce	Football	WE, Not ME
Terrell Chestnut	Football	The Healing Process
Marquis Lucas	Football	In Survival Mode
PJ Shirdan	Boxing	No Excuses, No Regrets

When I went to the athletes’ speech presentations, I had no idea what to expect. As Dr. Atkins introduced everyone and read off their accomplishments, I assumed the speeches would be about the sports they played. The first speech was by Isaiah Bruce, who started out speaking about heroes and how everyone has someone they look upon as a role model. What surprised me about his speech however was the person he chose to honor as his hero. The way he spoke about the fact he felt comfortable with WVU because of how his coach cared about his well being on and off the field, was something I had never considered athletes thinking about. As the other athletes continued speaking about their topics, the mood in the room changed. Each athlete had a tremendously inspirational story to tell and it really had nothing to do with just the sports. It shocked me and made me re-evaluate what these athletes and all athletes go through to get where they are in life.

While every speech was very well written and you could tell the emotion behind them, I had two speeches that stood out to me. The first was from Marquis Lucas. I have always known him as a football player on the field and someone who comes into my work often, and that perspective changed. I couldn’t believe the amount of pain he went through losing his dad. I thought it was inspirational how he handled the situation and going to school, and that his speech was accurately titled, “In Survival Mode”. The next person that really made me sit there and evaluate how I was handling things in my life, was PJ Shirdan. He spoke about how he always played sports and had to overcome three knee injuries and surgeries. He never seemed to stop. He is someone I can look to when I need an example of determination. When he spoke about losing his friend, Dave, I teared up a little bit. It amazed me how much he went through during that school year and he never once gave up. I’m glad I got to hear the athletes’ speeches. I hope in the future more students are able to hear them too.

Student Athletes Speak Out consisted of six WVU student athletes that presented motivational speeches to faculty, staff, and fellow classmates. When I arrived at the coliseum, I wasn’t expecting to hear such tragic and unfortunate life stories that these young men had experienced. Every story truly touched my heart and taught me the lesson to never take anything for granted. What these inspiring men have experienced is something I personally could never imagine nor think that I would have turned out as strong and successful has they have. After the speeches ended, I honestly felt guilty that I attended this event because of receiving bonus points. Next year, I will not miss Student Athletes Speak Out for anything. I enjoyed getting to know the athletes and felt I got to know them on a personally level thanks to their tremendous speeches.

I recently went to the motivational speeches presented by WVU athletes. I have to say that I went into these presentations with the misconception that it would consist of speeches regarding their participation in athletics. I was completely wrong. I knew that people go through some hard times in life, but to hear actual stories from my classmates was unreal. It was a very deep session that really allowed these athletes to open up their hearts to complete strangers. I heard numerous stories that included abandonment and death. Again, I knew these things happened every day, but to hear it from someone who has really experienced them makes these situations more realistic. They all seem to have found their place in life and I hope them the best in the future.

I really enjoyed my experience at this event. I have always loved sports, watching and playing, and I love WVU sports, so I was really excited to attend. I was very impressed with the way that these athletes delivered their speeches. I thought they all were very well written and they all were very touching. It made me put into perspective the things that I think are hard in my life compared to what so many other people have been through. I think PJ’s was my favorite, although they all were great. Two of them even brought me to tears. After leaving, I told many of my friends how awesome of an experience that was, and I really would like to attend the event in the following semesters. Thank you for the opportunity!

When we were first asked to attend the athlete’s speeches I had no idea what to expect. Most people tend to judge the athletes at West Virginia University. Everyone thinks their lives are so easy, but if they would have went on Tuesday they would probably think different. All of them had tough lives but they have seemed to overcome and grow into great people because of what they went through. Most of them experienced the death of major people in their lives while others had problems with their parents. Their lives were anything but easy before they came to West Virginia. All of their stories were very touching. It took plenty of courage for them to share these memories with all of us. When I now hear people make comments about the athletes at our school I will now say you know nothing about them and I will not judge them. After attending these speeches I can truthfully say that I would love to go listen every other semester as well.

While listening to the Student Athletes Speak Out, I was amazed by how inspirational all of the six speakers were. Each story was different but were all related to each other in a certain way. I enjoyed how each athlete opened up to the public and shared the most intimate parts of their lives. All of the stories were emotional but showed that everyone is capable of getting through the worst situations and become the person they were meant to be. I found it also inspiring that through all the hardships each athlete still chose to stay at West Virginia University, and I personally believe that says a lot about our university’s staff and students. All the athletes truly love WVU and that shows the rest of the world we are a family.

I thoroughly enjoyed attending the Student Athletes Speak Out presentation on Tuesday, March 20, 2012. This event consisted of six motivational speeches presented by student athletes. Each of the athletes told a story about enduring a difficult situation that changed their life drastically. These situations included the deaths of family members as well as close friends.

I can’t imagine going through what these six individuals did. It was very inspiring that each of the athletes was able to overcome such devastating experiences. One thing that each athlete had in common was their positive attitude and ability to move on with their life without giving up. The speeches were very eye opening for me. They reminded me of how fortunate I am to have the people in my life that I do. I left the presentation feeling positive and grateful for the opportunities I have been given throughout my life. It is important to take a step back and realize these things sometimes. I believe that everyone could benefit from hearing the speeches that these athletes have to share.

I am grateful that this experience was for extra credit, but it would have been worth every minute even if it hadn’t been. Those speeches really changed my outlook on student athletes; I have never given them credit for anything other than how they perform in their sport. It was very eye opening to see where those students have been and where they are now, being as successful as they are. I was inspired by both their hardships and the courage they had to speak about them in front of strangers. What they are doing for the community is remarkable; they are setting a wonderful example for the youth of Morgantown. The children they speak to are also exposed to the side of an athlete that many people don’t see, and I can’t imagine that the impact it makes on them is much different than the impact it had on me. I had to take public speaking earlier in my collegiate career and it was pretty tough. I couldn’t imagine talking about such personal issues so freely, I take my hat off to them.

Going into this presentation today I had no idea what to expect. I was thinking of maybe some light hearted speeches or powerful thoughts on motivation. The last thing I expected was the heartbreaking tales we heard today. One that really stuck out to be was Shawne Alston’s speech. I’m not sure if it was because I knew his name from hearing it at football games, but that story has been stuck in my head all day. It seemed as if all the other players had awful circumstances that they didn’t choose. For example, the boxer who was in a car wreck that killed his friend and the football player whose ten year old brother died in the foster home. These are all awful things to overcome, and they were great to include in a motivational speech. However, Shawne Alston had bad uncontrollable circumstances in his life, but he chose to do bad things with these circumstances. He ended up in a juvenile detention center before he realized he needed to turn his life around.

I think this speech would really speak to kids who had just dug themselves in too deep. There are so many kids in middle school and high school who get caught up in the wrong crowd and start making bad decisions. It seems as if everyone labels them as bad kids who can’t do anything with their lives. I think it was probably very motivational and inspiring for them to hear about Shawne Alston, who was one of those kids. He turned his life around and graduated high school and came to college to be a very successful student and football player. He will be successful in the rest of his life too. He mentioned that he wants to be a lawyer. I can’t help but feel that his speech stuck out to one kid who thought he just couldn’t be anything, and now he feels like he can.

After listening to the athlete’s speeches this morning I regret that I have not attended the event before. I imagined the speeches to be more humorous and lighthearted than what they were, but I left the coliseum a little teary eyed and feeling humbled. The hardships that the six speakers have endured are more than I could ever imagine. Unfortunately, I usually struggle staying attentive to speakers for too long, but along with the entire audience, I was absolutely engaged in every detail of each individual’s story. PJ, the last speaker of the morning, stands out the most in my mind. Not only was he a good speaker but he had an amazing outlook on the struggles he has faced this far in his young life. It is so admirable that despite the fact that his football career, that he devoted his life to, was cut short due to a recurrent knee injury he can still be optimistic.

Not only is he positive and hopeful, but he is able to put a smile on his face and tell his story. Sometimes people need a reminder, like PJ’s story, not to sweat the small things in life. After leaving the event, my initial reaction was to call my dad. My father and I are very close, and we have been my entire life. Hearing one athlete after another tell their stories about their fathers’ not being involved in their lives I am reminded how fortunate I am to have two healthy parents that mean the world to me. It is great that these young, University athletes can take these sad hardships and use them to empower themselves and others.

Today I attended the Student Athletes Speak Out ceremony. I wasn’t expecting to hear what I did today but I thought that every one of the athlete’s speeches was phenomenal. The speech that stood out most to me was PJ Shirdan’s. I thought that PJ’s speech was awesome, he was a great speaker and I found it amazing that someone can tear their ACL three times, lose one of their best friends, lose a football scholarship, and somehow still stay so composed. PJ has a wonderful outlook on life and in his speech his message was No Excuses, No Regrets. PJ blamed himself for the bad things that happened to him, mainly his friend’s death and that really took a toll on him. He said that he suffered from post traumatic stress disorder and everything in

his life was just slipping away like his football scholarship. But he sought out professional help and fought to get his scholarship back. In the end PJ got the help he needed and he even got his football scholarship back, only to find out that his true passion is boxing. Now PJ just lives every day with No excuses, and No regrets!