Carnegie Mellon SAAC Hosts Third Annual Field Day
More than 50 boys and girls from the community spent a few hours playing sports with Carnegie Mellon University student-athletes on Sunday, April 14, as part of the annual Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) Field Day. The children, who ranged in age from 6-12, were offered mini-clinics in football, soccer, track and field and basketball.
It was the third annual Carnegie Mellon Athletics Field Day, which was developed by senior Liam McGrath, who is on the football and track and field teams. A mathematics major, McGrath put together the Field Day after working with children in sports camps over the past few summers.
Many members of the Carnegie Mellon faculty and staff brought their children to the Field Day, as did a number of mentors from the Big Brothers Big Sisters program.
“I thought that the Field Day was exceptionally well-run and a wonderful way to inspire youth in the community,” said Carnegie Mellon Student Systems Analyst Jamie Brandon, who brought her son Andy to the Field Day. “It was wonderful to see that the student-athletes at Carnegie Mellon wanted to volunteer their time. My son was thrilled to be able to ask the collegiate athletes questions and get a better understanding of the sports involved. Field Day was an excellent way to promote physical fitness to the children who attended.”
Associate Director of Athletics Josh Centor advises the Carnegie Mellon SAAC and was excited to see such a positive turnout for the Field Day.
“The Field Day is a wonderful community initiative and I’m always so thrilled to see the smiling faces of the children as they interact with our students,” Centor said. “It was a great day and we’re already looking forward to next year.”
McGrath put together a group of counselors that consisted of student-athletes from a number of different Carnegie Mellon teams.
“I know the athletes love working with the kids and the kids really look up to the athletes. It’s a fun time for everyone involved,” McGrath said. “It has been extremely rewarding managing the Field Day the last three years.”