Back when I began this journey, I promised I would not use the name of a song or words from a song to convey my thoughts; however, the more and more I tried to stick to this promise, I kept coming back to “End of the Road” by Boyz II Men. Not just because it’s a great song to perform during karaoke or sing to folks as they move on to another job, but because the chorus reflects the type of ownership I have felt regarding the Championship Series.
“It’s unnatural, you belong to me, I belong to you.”
Three years of serving the Championship Series is a long time. It’s also been a worthwhile commitment that you have to truly embrace if you want to get as much out of it as you possibly can. Looking back, I am more appreciative than ever for Brooke Turner posting about the vacant 2nd Vice Chair position and for her, Kurt Klier, Stephanie McAlpine, and Val McCutchan for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to grow professionally through being a part of the executive team.
When I first took the role, I’ll admit I was unsure of exactly what I was getting into. I just knew I wanted to be involved. From the get-go, I found out I had a lot to learn about what the Championship Series does and why they do it. Considering we run year-round, you hit the ground sprinting because you have to help guide your portion of the ship in so that everything stays afloat. From rewriting manuals, selecting work team members, updating and reviewing charges, there was always something to do!
However, I would not trade any of that experience for anything. I have learned so much and been able to strengthen certain traits because of this experience. The people I have been fortunate enough to work with over these three years have been some of the best and most dedicated professionals when it comes to student development and the Championship Series. Like all solid relationships, we did not always agree on certain topics but we respected each other’s opinions and did our best to come up with fair comprises that benefitted the most people possible.
I started my first ever post with the idea of moving the needle and getting us “unstuck” out of some of our old ways of thinking. While nothing is ever perfect, my goal was to get people thinking about ways to do this—for our membership to realize that we all have a part to play in ensuring that our future success depends on the choices and trends we set today and thereafter. Just because something works in June 2018 does not mean it will work in June 2019. If we all embrace the mentality of leaving something better than how we inherited it, then I have no doubt we’ll reach unprecedented levels of success. The future is unknown but exciting.
Randall Ford, Scott Flickinger, and Marty Dempsey have us heading in the right direction and I encourage any and all of you to contact them if you have ideas and want to provide solutions rather than accept the transgressions that seem to bother us all. Those three might be the selected representatives for the Championship Series, but they are by no means the only voice. With that said, I hope you trust that they have the best interests of the membership at heart and are making decisions that will benefit us all in the long run.
Now that my run has ended, I would like to thank Rec Sports at Texas A&M—especially Jerrod Jackson, Drew McMillen, former and current intramural sports graduate assistants Kaulin Andric, Matt Holmquist, Megan Normansell, and Jamie Mineart as well as the students—for their continued support and understanding as I fulfilled my duties. Thank you to Mike Chadee and Jon Elliott for providing feedback and references when I needed them on various topics related to the position. Val, thanks for helping me navigate the position and make those hard decisions when we had to. And thanks to all the former and current work team chairs who helped me along this journey. All of you played important roles for me and I am forever grateful to you.
Lastly, I remember when Jerry Springer was in his heyday and his show had us all tuning in for its insanity. He always ended with his final thoughts. Well I would like to do the same:
- Neon Moon is the greatest country song of all time.
- Liaison is a terrible word and the pronunciation of it is even worse.
- Central Time Zone makes the most sense and it is what television or sports should abide by.
- Tonya Harding would have medaled in 1994 if Nancy Kerrigan did not get injured.
- Texas would have beat Alabama in 2010 had Colt McCoy not gotten hurt.
Thanks for sticking with me throughout this experience!
Oscee Wheatfall, Chair of the NIRSA Championship Series, is currently the Associate Director of Operations & Events at Texas A & M University-College Station.
