Photo By Staff Sgt. Kaden Pitt | Vanderbilt Women's Lacrosse players low crawl during an obstacle course on Sept. 6,...... read more read more
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FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. – When six female officers from the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) spoke with Division I athletes from the Vanderbilt Women’s Lacrosse team, the word on everyone’s lips was ‘sacrifice’. It began on Sept. 4, 2024, when the Fort Campbell officers arrived at Vanderbilt University to participate in a panel on what they and the student-athletes had in common the shared experience of giving all you can for what you love.
“We wanted to hear about what I would say is – the ultimate sacrifice in service to your country and protecting our freedom,” said Beth Hewitt, head coach of the Vanderbilt Women’s Lacrosse team. “When we talk about sacrifice it’s in a very different light, but we can learn a lot from the women who came and spoke to us. It’s really opened us up to what their world is all about, the background they came from, and I think it was very eye-opening for my team.”
The Soldiers spoke on their experiences in the military, the unique ways they’ve offered up themselves to a cause and the advice they could pay forward to the young women in attendance. Once the panel was finished, they broke into small groups where the team members asked questions and discussed the topic in a more interpersonal environment. The groups not only talked about how they each make their own sacrifices, but why.
“Why I enjoy the Army is because the constant challenges day-to-day are really just seeped in purpose,” said U.S. Army Capt. Hannah Levine, commander of the Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 101st Airborne Division Artillery, 101 ABN DIV (AA). “When you’re looking at the scheme of purpose and sacrifice, you always have to continue having a contribution mindset for that greater purpose.”
The conversations allowed some of the young athletes to consider how much they’re willing to put towards their goals.
“To the women who spoke to us, sacrifice is a daily occurrence and to see it from their perspective at a far greater extant than what we do definitely put a lot into perspective for us,” said Elise Bialecki, a Vanderbilt Women’s Lacrosse player. “It really motivated us to sacrifice more – that we can always give more because for these women that’s their normal.”
Two days later, players seized the opportunity to taste some of the challenges service members face in a training environment and put their cooperation to the test just two days later at the Sabalauski Air Assault School, Fort Campbell. The team battled to conquer the famous “Zero Day” obstacle course, demonstrated their wits during field leadership reaction lanes and rappelled down a 34-foot tower. While some found this foray into the Soldier lifestyle challenging, many also found it rewarding.
“This has definitely challenged us in different ways then we would be challenged on the field or in the classroom,” said Bialecki. “I’ve liked seeing the different leaders, even the younger girls, stepping up in certain roles and everybody finds their strength. I feel like we really grew as a team and grew as people and that’s really all that matters.”
Like sacrifice, the development of the next generation of leaders also connects the sports and military worlds.
“I’m a coach, it’s always about wins and losses, but for me, it’s a lot bigger than that; It’s really about the development of these young women,” said Hewitt. “I just want to give an ounce of what we learned to the teams coming behind these guys. I feel like we will grow so much as group by hearing some of those amazing stories but also living some of these activities.”
That growth was not just one-sided for some of the Soldiers. Reaching out to the local community to share stories and experiences had an impact on them as well.
“It’s inspirational,” said Levine. “It’s very important for our organization to continue to build on that community outreach because our neighbors outside the military are one of the most vital components to supporting us. Working with the student-athletes gives us a spark of motivation in our own lives because we’re able to see how positively they tackle these obstacles and we can take a lot of that back to our young Soldiers who are still budding leaders.”
When all was said and done, the Vanderbilt Commodores and Screaming Eagles parted ways. Leaders like Levine hope they were able to impart why sacrifice is so important.
“Nothing is ever going to come easy in life,’ said Levine. “You have to work for it.”
| Date Taken: | 09.10.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 09.16.2024 21:28 |
| Story ID: | 480526 |
| Location: | FORT CAMPBELL, KENTUCKY, US |
| Hometown: | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE, US |
| Web Views: | 22 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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