Michigan athletes benefit from Warrior Athlete Leadership Summit
Some, it is said, are born leaders, while others – or perhaps most – develop over time. There is evidence of this in both sports and the military.
Michigan Athletics, through Valiant Management Group, has formed some interesting partnerships since the launch of name, image, likeness three years ago, including with the Michigan Army National Guard. Two summers ago, members of the Michigan football team visited the base and took helicopter and airplane rides after meeting several soldiers. This year, however, the National Guard will be on the Wolverines’ turf.
Several Michigan athletes, including football players Donovan Edwards and Colston Loveland, will discuss leadership at the Warrior Athlete Leadership Summit, a three-hour event hosted by the Michigan Army National Guard at the Crisler Center on Saturday starting at 2 p.m. Admission is free and the event is open to all ages.
“I’m so excited for the opportunity to share leadership strategies with and learn from the people around me,” Jordan Hobbs, a Michigan State University basketball player entering her senior year, said of the summit. “It’s a skill that doesn’t come easily to most, but it can be cultivated and improved in so many ways. I’m excited to be surrounded by great people, soaking up their insights and offering advice.”
Speakers representing the National Guard included Captain Jerred Johnson, who organized a group to help pack the thousands of toys collected for Blake Corum’s toy drive last December. He described the Army’s TTPs – techniques, tactics and practices – as critical to the training of soldiers, athletes and all individuals.
“Because everybody’s a leader,” Johnson said. “It’s in you somewhere. Whether you refine it, whether you practice it, everybody can become a better leader, right? I mean, I guess you could say that just by looking at last season (Michigan football). JJ (McCarthy) and Blake two years before that, JJ and Blake last year were completely different leaders. Did they have those leadership qualities? 100%. I mean, the quote that JJ said when Michigan was 2-4 showed leadership qualities, and then three years later, he’s holding a national championship trophy as a leader because he’s gotten better as a leader. So that’s what we wanted to do with this partnership: not only get brand awareness with these guys, but help them.”
Michigan’s athletes have learned leadership lessons from the National Guard, and the National Guard hopes to use the partnership to recruit new members to their organization. Although the event is open to all ages, individuals must be 17 years or older to register.
“We want them to know what we do,” Johnson said. “We don’t just wear a uniform when we go overseas. We live here, we serve here. And organizations like the National Guard are your neighbors. There are natural disasters, and we’re there. The Army isn’t there, the Marines aren’t there. We’re there at the behest of the administration or the governor. We’ll tell them a little bit about who we are before we talk about leadership. We don’t just get up at four in the morning, do push-ups and all that. We help out in the community. This is a phenomenal partnership of two similar, like-minded organizations with value systems.”
Johnson said National Guard members have also learned from Michigan athletes. He said he was particularly moved by comments Edwards made at an event last year when asked how he felt after losing to TCU in the 2022 national semifinals.
“He said, ‘I’ve learned more from every loss than I have from every win,'” Johnson said of Edwards’ comments. “And that’s something that stuck with me and Sergeant Major (Dave) Lewis, who will be there on Saturday. We looked at each other and thought, ‘Damn, for a 20-year-old kid to say he’s learned more from losing than from winning, that’s unbelievable.'”
His main takeaway from Edwards’ talk was resilience. And on Saturday they plan to share their thoughts on leadership. For more information and to register, visit the Warrior Athlete Leadership Summit.
@chengelis
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