May 5, 2008

GOSHEN, Ind. - What often gets misunderstood in the bustle of competition and the countless hours of training in intercollegiate athletics is the development of the entire student-athlete. As a Christian liberal arts institution - with athletics as a vital contributor - Goshen College is committed to developing young people academically, socially, and spiritually.

Recently, a pair of Maple Leaf athletes got a rare chance to display their developments to a nation-wide audience.  Part of a student panel of seven, Sheldon Good (Jr., Telford, Pa, tennis) and Peter Koontz (Sr., Goshen, Ind., soccer) discussed how their faith impacts their political views with CNN anchor Rick Sanchez.

With an unprecedented focus on the political views of young people in America - coupled with the importance of Indiana in the primaries - CNN contacted Goshen about their interest in having a round-table discussion with first-time voters who were Mennonite.  As part of a series titled, "The League of First-Time Voters," CNN had already taped similar conversations with students from a Jesuit college and a historically black institution.

The segment with Goshen College students will air on CNN's American Morning as well as the possibility of airing on other shows and on CNN's website.

"As a communication student, I'm often very critical of our national media, but the folks from CNN were very professional," said Good, who is a junior on the Maple Leaf tennis team.  "It was amazing to watch their reactions as we discussed our perspectives.  Rick Sanchez told us afterwards that we not only represented our college and our denomination well, but all `youth across America,' which was humbling to say the least."

Good, Koontz, and their fellow students discussed the Iraq war, immigration, the economy, leadership qualities, and other current hot topics in politics.  "It was cool to hear how the notion of thinking globally became our backdrop for all these issues," said Good.  "I think it's an important perspective for much of America to hear.  To think about how our decisions and policies can and do affect not only us here, but people around the world, that's a powerful image."

Good, who traveled to Cambodia as part of Goshen's Study-Service Term, said that his time outside of the country has "provided me with a way to frame global thinking.  Before coming to Goshen, I don't think I had a specific way of articulating this idea of being global citizens.  It was something that I assumed I valued, but had never put it into words or actions."

While Goshen's SST program and focus on global citizenship - one the Goshen College's core values - have helped build Good's views, his athletic career has also been a major contributor to his views both politically and socially.

"Tennis has taught me how to function as individual who is part of a team," said Good, who was a four-year high school tennis player and finished his third season at Goshen in the fall. 

"Tennis is an individual sport and life is an individual experience," added Good.  "But as a member of a tennis team, you have to realize that every match counts towards a team score, no matter the fact that you're out there on the court alone."

Most coaches preach teamwork from the first day of practice.  However, few understand the importance of it immediately, learning through experience its value on and off the court.

"As global citizens, we must think about how our individual actions influence and impact not just ourselves," Good explains.  "In this way, teamwork is not just an idea to be practiced in athletics or in the classroom, but something that must be lived out in our daily lives, as we consider how to be faithful, Christ-centered stewards in this game of life."

While not every student-athlete will get such a unique opportunity to share their development, Goshen College and its athletic department strives for each of its student-athletes to understand athletics and development as synonymous.

For more information on the CNN airing and how Goshen College is addressing faith and politics, please visit our website at www.goshen.edu/election2008/.