Carnegie Mellon SAAC Hosts Fourth Annual Field Day

Carnegie Mellon SAAC Hosts Fourth Annual Field Day

Nearly 40 boys and girls from the community spent a few hours playing sports with Carnegie Mellon University student-athletes on Sunday, April 6, as part of the annual Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) Field Day. The children, who ranged in age from 5-12, were offered mini-clinics in football, soccer, track and field and basketball.

It was the fourth annual Carnegie Mellon Athletics Field Day, which was developed by former football and track and field athlete and graduate Liam McGrath. 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. 

"What a great day for our annual SAAC Field Day," said Rekha Schnepf, a student-athlete organizer of the event. "We were lucky to have such a beautiful day and both the athletes and participants had a really good time. The event means a lot to the student-athletes since it gives us a chance for a really rewarding volunteer experience and allows us to inspire kids in the community to be active and participate in athletics while having a lot of fun."

Fellow student-athlete and co-organizer Ben Neiman agreed with Schnepf on the positive atmosphere.

"The kids had a lot of fun at all the stations and were eager to participate in everything," said Neiman. "All the volunteers were really enthusiastic and inviting and that was really cool to see as it helped a lot of the shier kids loosen up and have fun too. Overall, I'd say it was another successful field day and I look forward to Field Day 2015!"

Director of Athletics Josh Centor advises the Carnegie Mellon SAAC and was excited to see such a positive turnout once again for the Field Day.

"The Field Day is one of my favorite days of the year. Our students are tremendous role models and they make a huge impact on children from the community through this event,” said Director of Athletics Josh Centor. “I am so proud of our students for making a commitment to influence young people regarding the importance of physical fitness and activity in their lives."