By Anna MacDonald, University of Rochester Student-Athlete

This year I accepted the invitation to be a part of the University Athletic Association conference for members of the Student Athletic Advisory Committees at each institution. The 2014 meeting was held at Brandeis University. Going into it, I knew very little except that the UAA would be paying for me to fly home for a day (I'm originally from Massachusetts), and give me an all-expense paid trip to hang out with other athletes for the weekend. Add onto that the opportunity to do a ropes course and I was sold. I accepted the offer within 20 minutes of seeing the e-mail.
 
That weekend turned out to be significantly more than a ropes course and a few hours with my mother and little brother. On Friday,Rochester  lacrosse captain and VSAAC president Megan Arnold and I met up and drove to the airport to begin our trip. The plane ride gave us a chance to get to know each other and gave me a small glimpse into the connections I would make this weekend. Not being very close with Megan before the trip began, I loved getting the opportunity to know her and am now incredibly happy to call her a friend.
 
On Saturday, Megan and I met up with tennis player Ben Shapiro, our third representative and VSAAC vice president. All 30 of the representatives from the eight UAA schools climbed into a bus and headed to the ropes course named Project Adventure. I was extremely excited for the course and Project Adventure certainly matched my enthusiasm.
 
We began with some freshman orientation-esque icebreakers and activities and then broke up into three groups to conquer the ropes course. Throughout the day, I found myself getting closer and closer to these athletes I had met four or five hours earlier. You learn to trust the people who are literally holding your life in their hands. Before I knew it I was conversing easily with swimmers from Emory, volleyball players from NYU, and soccer players from Case Western.
 
The ropes course catalyzed the normally awkward first interactions with strangers and created friendships that bridged the gap between schools, sports, ages and majors. After the ropes course, and like the stereotypical athletes we were, we all worked out together, cementing the bonds created on the course. Later that evening, we ate dinner and I was amazed at how the polite first interactions we shared earlier in the day had turned into laughter and easy conversation about all aspects of life at the dinner table.
 
Sunday morning we began the business aspect of the conference. We were all comfortable enough with each other that we spoke freely and easily about issues such as recruiting, season length, fundraising, off-season guidelines and other topics presented to us by Dick Rasmussen, the Executive Secretary of the UAA. We bounced ideas off each other on how to better brand the UAA conference name and how to make the UAA a more cohesive and recognizable conference.
 
We tried to do so by highlighting both the academic and athletic achievements of the UAA student-athletes and their respective programs. At the conclusion of the meeting, each school was given the chance to summarize the activities of their student advisory committees which was incredibly helpful. This gave us, as the Rochester student advisory committee, a plethora of new ideas and opportunities to enrich the student experience, of both the athlete and the non-athlete alike, for the coming year.
 
If you logistically look at the conference, we made a few decisions, voted down some propositions, approved others, and gave the UAA a student perspective on issues of the athletic community. Infinitely more important, from my perspective, are the relationships and connections that were made in a 72-hour time frame.  Not only did this conference broaden my understanding of the administrative aspect of the athletic world but also gave me the opportunity to meet and interact with 30 exceptional student athletes, most of whom I would never have met otherwise.
 
I can honestly say that I am already looking forward to next year. I thank our athletic administration wholeheartedly for giving Megan, Ben and I the chance to represent our school and be part of something that has greatly heightened my appreciation for the athletic experience.