By Kurt Klier, Assistant Director at the University of Maryland-College Park

“The NIRSA Championship Series is a platform for professional development for NIRSA members to build skills and engage in all levels of learning through their programming, staff, official, and volunteer positions.” As my time as the NIRSA Championship Series Committee Chair comes to a conclusion, I’m  realizing just how true that statement is.

The development opportunities available through the Championship Series are outstanding, and I hope more members will take advantage of them. The Championship Series is a place for leaders—complainers need not apply. One thing I have learned from working with the past chairs and vice chairs is that a true leader will step up and be part of the hard discussions, making decisions that better the whole.

Every member who volunteers for the Championship Series has a passion for the development opportunities we provide students and staff alike. It was suggested at the 2016 Annual Conference that we “marginalize the officials” because of the decisions we make. This was an absurd comment and I was disappointed to hear it from a member who knows it is not true. According to Scott Flickinger, Brand Management Work Team Chair and Director of Intramural Sports at Cornell University, the student referees feel that the opportunities to officiate at national championships could not be any more outstanding. Hanna Keller, student official from Wright State University, says of the National Basketball Championships, “I would encourage everyone to strive to be an official at the national tournament. The feedback, knowledge gained, and lifelong friendships made at the 2016 National Basketball Championships will forever be a favorite memory of my time as a student official. This tournament experience was the best I’ve ever had.”

One thing I have learned through my involvement as Chair is that our members value the Championship Series. We need the unknown Leaders in NIRSA to help in the continuing development of the Series. As shared at the conference, the number of NIRSA members who want to volunteer and serve on a NIRSA Championships Series work team is impressive:

  • NIRSA members made 180 selections for volunteer opportunities
  • 76 selected a Championship Series work team as their first choice volunteer opportunity
  • 21 applied for a chair position
  • There were 98 professional and 17 student applicants
  • 85 institutions were represented in the applications
  • Applicants had a combined 631 years of experience

The proof

The article “Exploring NIRSA Championship Series Professional Development Opportunities: Understanding Their Perceived Value to the Association” by Jacob Tingle of Trinity University, Dan Hazlett of Georgia Tech, and April Flint of Emory University was recently published in the Recreational Sports Journal. It is a study that illustrates the development taking place at national championship events. In their conclusion, Jacob, Dan, and April write, “Finally, it is clear from this research that NIRSA professionals highly value volunteer experiences at Series events, and Series leadership should continue to assess each event to ensure that consistency in messaging and experience is retained throughout events.”

National basketball

The concept behind the Jacob Tingle, Dan Hazlett, and April Flint article was put to the test at the 2016 NIRSA National Basketball Championships recently held at The Ohio State University. As Scott noted in his recap of the event, “With 843 participants representing 84 teams in the Intramural, Club, and Unified Divisions, it’s hard to ignore the impact the teams had on this tournament. Twenty-eight states were represented from across the United States, and each individual was looking forward to gaining tremendous experience as well as having the opportunity to bring home a national title for their team and institution.”

New to this year’s tournament was the addition of the Unified Sports Division. Unified Sports is an inclusive sports program that unites Special Olympics athletes and their partners as teammates for training and competition. This year, NIRSA and the Special Olympics began a partnership to promote and incorporate the Unified Sports program at campuses nationwide. “I could not have been happier and more excited for how the Unified Division went during the national championship,” says Scott George, Assistant Director of Intramurals at Central Michigan University.

The future

For the first time in NIRSA history, all three NIRSA leadership body presidents were also at the NIRSA National Basketball Championships. NIRSA President Stan Shingles, Assistant Vice President at Central Michigan University; NIRSA Foundation President Tom Kirch, retired from Oregon State University; and NIRSA Services Corporation President Dave Bowles, Director at the University of Florida were all in town conducting NIRSA business. All three had different agendas, but one common theme they shared centered on the NIRSA Mission Statement:

“NIRSA is a leader in higher education and the advocate for the advancement of recreation, SPORT (emphasis mine), and wellness by providing educational and developmental opportunities, generating and sharing knowledge, and promoting networking and growth for our members.”

All three NIRSA boards of directors are working together for the establishment of a Student Officials Development Campaign. These efforts are spearheaded through the NIRSA Foundation in conjunction with the NIRSA Services Corporation.

Our future looks promising and the Championship Series is in great hands. I have no doubt that Brooke Turner, Assistant Director of Intramural and Club Sports at the University of Alabama, will end up being one of the most successful NIRSA Championship Series Committee Chairs in recent years. I also know that the vice chairs—Oscee Wheatfall, Assistant Director of Intramural Sports at Texas A&M University-College Station, and Sarah Fain, Intramural Sports Program Director at Georgia Southern University—will lead their respective work groups to new heights. This will be a great leadership team!

I also want to recognize my “NIRSA Boss” Valerie McCutchan, NIRSA Director of National Sport Programs. Without her tireless dedication and strong work ethic, the Championship Series would not exist. None of these four individuals like praise, but that is what they have from me. I hold all four in the highest regard.

Thank you

I want to thank the chairs of the NIRSA Championship Series. It all started with a successful NIRSA Championship Series Committee Summit held over the summer where all work team chairs were present. In the past year, their work and commitment have not waivered. These are some of the best NIRSA professionals I have ever worked with!

  • April Flint, Emory University
  • Aaron Hobson, University of Florida
  • Scott Flickinger, Cornell University
  • Ashley Lax, University of Wisconsin-Madison
  • Brian Mills, University of Houston
  • Laura Thomas, Texas Tech University
  • Tom St. John, Stony Brook University
  • Mary Yemma, NC State University
  • Stephanie McAlpine, University of Texas at Arlington.

I also want to thank a close group of NIRSA colleagues whom I have come to count on. They are the future of NIRSA and the Championship Series: Nicole Green of the University of Michigan), Jason Gant of Creighton University, Mark Comer of the University of Baltimore, Nick Brigati of Ohio University, Jeff Feldhaus of Virginia Tech, and Mary Kate Crawford of the University of Maryland. All I can say to them is “Thank you.” Lastly, there are also some graduate assistants who just got hired full time that I expect great things from: Dave Stewart from Towson University, Dan Renfro from the University of South Florida, and Tyler Burroughs from Kansas State University.

This has been a long strange trip but one I would repeat in a heartbeat. Thank you NIRSA Championship Series for making me the NIRSA member that I am today!