SE: K-State’s ‘Cats Across Continents’ Program to Send Wildcats to Dominican Republic
May 16, 2018 | Sports Extra, Athletics, Evans Student-Athlete Success Program
By Corbin McGuire
The motivation behind signing up for the K-State's "Cats Across Continents" program, a partnership with Courts For Kids where Wildcats travel to a country in need to build a multi-purpose court, varies by student-athlete.
The chance to get out of the United States for the first time is enticing for some. For others, it's the type of service opportunity they have always wanted to be part of but couldn't because of commitments to their sport. Being out of cell phone service, as surprising as that may sound, is a small incentive for at least one K-State student-athlete on this year's 10-day service trip to the Dominican Republic.
"Obviously, it was just finals week and it's almost mandatory for me to constantly have availability to my phone for, one, the amount of school work we do online and, two, I have to be pretty much on call for the soccer team at all times," K-State soccer senior Krista Haddock said, with a laugh. "I'm probably most excited for that aspect, that we're just going to go and be totally immersed in a different culture and unplugged. That's all we'll be there for and that's all we'll have to focus on. It'll be nice."
This year's third "Cats Across Continents" edition sends 15 student-athletes and five K-State Athletics staff members to Matayaya, one of the smaller sections in the Dominican Republic located near the Haitian border. The Wildcats leave Thursday and return Saturday, May 26.
"I've never been out of the country before, so this is a good avenue to do that. I've wanted to go abroad for a while and obviously, as student-athletes, it's really hard to do that, so this is kind of a really good opportunity," Haddock said. "The fact that it's a service trip is appealing. I like that my first time out of the country isn't just a touristy thing or a vacation thing. I like that I'm going to accomplish something."
By building a court with and for the community, the Wildcats hope to help alleviate one issue in the area: delinquency. Currently, the youth in Matayaya only have one court to use and it is located inside a school with availability limited to school hours.
"It's a really cool opportunity to be able to give back to people who will cherish this for years on end. We'll build something that they'll be able to use, and they'll really cherish it for a while," K-State volleyball senior Alyssa Schultejans said. "To be able to make an impact of this caliber in their community, where they don't have as much as we have, and help them out that way, I think that will be a really cool experience. It's obviously important to give back to our personal community but I think to make a difference in someone else's country, it's really unique."
K-State volleyball sophomore Brynn Carlson agreed.
"It's always been something I've wanted to do because I think it's super important to serve people. I think that's why we're here, to help others. It's just a really great opportunity to be able to bring our passions for all of the various sports that are going with us to other kids who maybe don't get the same opportunity," she said, as K-State's rowing, track and field and football teams will also be represented. "I'm really looking forward to getting to know the people and interacting with the people because I think that's what's most important, is really getting to know the local people who are living there and seeing how we're actually going to be impacting them, especially the kids. I just think it's going to be cool to be able to meet them and work side by side with them as we build something for their community."
This trip, if it's anything like what the Wildcats have heard from teammates and other student-athletes who went on the previous two, will be life changing. They will be fully immersed in a different culture, where life's essentials will take on a new meaning.
"It's really an awesome opportunity. I think we're super blessed here that we have an athletic department and people who are willing to put money toward sending us on a service trip such as this, especially going out of the country. They definitely didn't have to do that," Carlson said. "They don't have to spend the money on that, but I think it just really shows our culture, our values and how we value serving others."
The motivation behind signing up for the K-State's "Cats Across Continents" program, a partnership with Courts For Kids where Wildcats travel to a country in need to build a multi-purpose court, varies by student-athlete.
The chance to get out of the United States for the first time is enticing for some. For others, it's the type of service opportunity they have always wanted to be part of but couldn't because of commitments to their sport. Being out of cell phone service, as surprising as that may sound, is a small incentive for at least one K-State student-athlete on this year's 10-day service trip to the Dominican Republic.
"Obviously, it was just finals week and it's almost mandatory for me to constantly have availability to my phone for, one, the amount of school work we do online and, two, I have to be pretty much on call for the soccer team at all times," K-State soccer senior Krista Haddock said, with a laugh. "I'm probably most excited for that aspect, that we're just going to go and be totally immersed in a different culture and unplugged. That's all we'll be there for and that's all we'll have to focus on. It'll be nice."
This year's third "Cats Across Continents" edition sends 15 student-athletes and five K-State Athletics staff members to Matayaya, one of the smaller sections in the Dominican Republic located near the Haitian border. The Wildcats leave Thursday and return Saturday, May 26.
"I've never been out of the country before, so this is a good avenue to do that. I've wanted to go abroad for a while and obviously, as student-athletes, it's really hard to do that, so this is kind of a really good opportunity," Haddock said. "The fact that it's a service trip is appealing. I like that my first time out of the country isn't just a touristy thing or a vacation thing. I like that I'm going to accomplish something."
By building a court with and for the community, the Wildcats hope to help alleviate one issue in the area: delinquency. Currently, the youth in Matayaya only have one court to use and it is located inside a school with availability limited to school hours.
"It's a really cool opportunity to be able to give back to people who will cherish this for years on end. We'll build something that they'll be able to use, and they'll really cherish it for a while," K-State volleyball senior Alyssa Schultejans said. "To be able to make an impact of this caliber in their community, where they don't have as much as we have, and help them out that way, I think that will be a really cool experience. It's obviously important to give back to our personal community but I think to make a difference in someone else's country, it's really unique."
K-State volleyball sophomore Brynn Carlson agreed.
"It's always been something I've wanted to do because I think it's super important to serve people. I think that's why we're here, to help others. It's just a really great opportunity to be able to bring our passions for all of the various sports that are going with us to other kids who maybe don't get the same opportunity," she said, as K-State's rowing, track and field and football teams will also be represented. "I'm really looking forward to getting to know the people and interacting with the people because I think that's what's most important, is really getting to know the local people who are living there and seeing how we're actually going to be impacting them, especially the kids. I just think it's going to be cool to be able to meet them and work side by side with them as we build something for their community."
This trip, if it's anything like what the Wildcats have heard from teammates and other student-athletes who went on the previous two, will be life changing. They will be fully immersed in a different culture, where life's essentials will take on a new meaning.
"It's really an awesome opportunity. I think we're super blessed here that we have an athletic department and people who are willing to put money toward sending us on a service trip such as this, especially going out of the country. They definitely didn't have to do that," Carlson said. "They don't have to spend the money on that, but I think it just really shows our culture, our values and how we value serving others."
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