Hot Seat: How's the water?

I recently had a pool built in my back yard. It's nice. It's got water (no kidding), Shasta stone, an in-ground cleaning system, some crazy ozone injector, and even a couple of water features called Wok Pots (I don't know – whatever). Oh, it's nice! The anticipation of this pool has had my family giddy for weeks and weeks. Even through the construction delays, optimism was all around them.

We've had the pool operational for a month now. I've been in it twice!

I write this not to share with you how sad and depressing my life is (though there is considerable room for debate there), but to draw a comparison with our National Sports Program and its purpose within NIRSA.

I ask myself, "Why have I been in only twice?" Sure, there are a lot of demands on my time. Maybe I don't even like to swim. For Pete's sake, I live in a desert – why wouldn't I get in the pool?

The answer, I have concluded, is because the pool is not for me.
Like so many professionals in our field, our joy comes in building things that others will use. We serve without asking what's in it for us, and we take pride in the benefits others derive from our work. It's who we are. I built this pool so I could watch my family frolic in the water and avoid melting in the Arizona sun. My joy comes from that.

The NCCS is building a National Sports Program so our students and professionals can enjoy the benefits of that program. And when I say National Sports Program, I don't just mean playing basketball or any of our other sports – though certainly benefits come from that. I am referring to the professional skills developed through working in a regional or national tournament, or any of our NCCS work teams. Event management skills, supervisory skills, leadership, prioritization, compromise and vision are just a few of the characteristics one refines in these roles. At tournaments, we employ human relations skills, we teach, we learn, we watch others grow, and we employ the skills we use in our everyday jobs – and we refine them and bring value back to our campuses.

Some folks ask what the value of these tournaments is for NIRSA. There it is. For many NIRSA professionals in the intramural sports and sport club realm, these tournaments serve as our living laboratory – our ongoing symposia. And I shouldn't limit that to IM and Sport Club folks. Facilities people, fitness/wellness folks and upper administration can all benefit from participating in these events. In fact, we've had them all.

I got in the pool the other day, with my family. Yes, that was the second time. It's the first time in weeks we were all together at the same time. That has value. Thinking back on it, I realize that we need to take the time to enjoy the things we build. There are benefits that we know exist, but do not take advantage of: stress-relief, cardiovascular strength and conditioning, social networking, and family time to name a few.

Yet, many in our profession choose not to get in the pool (blatant pool-NCCS analogy). Many have been in the pool so long their skin is wrinkled and blue. We all have our reasons. But I encourage you to jump in and give it a try.There are a ton of pool analogies I could draw on to make my next point, but I'm tired of them already. So, I will simply invite all of our profession to experience one of the many NCCS National Sports Programs this year. Visit the NIRSA website to find out how, when and where.

One final note. I haven't quite figured out how to pay for my pool. Therefore, next month's column will center on that topic – paying for our pool (insert analogy here).