by Art Mullet
In the sports world, our culture has moved in the direction of specialization. Rather than focus on the sport in season, many youth are pushed to play/practice one sport year-round. I fear that our emphasis on specialization today will result in early burn-out and often a resentment toward the system that pushed them, and yet failed them.
Because of my belief in a well-rounded person, I have chosen to teach and coach at a small college such as Hesston College. The emphasis here has always been to develop and educate the whole person. Our student-athletes experience the competitiveness of junior college sports, yet must also balance this challenge with academic rigors, and rich social and spiritual opportunities. Many college coaches would not allow players to miss a practice for any reason. To me, it’s actually a good feeling when a player asks to miss a practice in order to go to a study group, or spend an extra hour working on a paper. It’s a reminder to me that he or she has his or her priorities in order.
Our student-athletes at Hesston traditionally achieve an overall higher grade point average than does the general student population. Despite the long hours of practice and games, they are using their “free-time” more wisely and the self-discipline they are learning on the field or court, carries over to their academic life.
Most of our student-athletes come to Hesston College from successful high school experiences. Many were the “stars” on their teams and were used to winning, and receiving much adulation. At Hesston, due to the competitiveness of our schedules, many of our programs do not annually achieve glowing records.
Our athletes begin to gain a new perspective on life…that one does not win all the time, and “Maybe I’m not the best player on the team after all!” Learning to deal with these new challenges, and often adversity, is part of the growth of our student-athletes. And particularly at Hesston, having social interaction in the mods, and close personal connections with coaches, faculty, and staff, encourages that important maturation to take place.
Yes, I’m proud to say I’ve spent 33 of my 41 years in education at two small Christian colleges. Mentoring young persons as they develop and watching as they learn life skills through sports has been precious to me.
—Art Mullet, who has begun his 27th year as Larks baseball coach, has been Hesston College athletic director and a faculty member since 1980.