University of Santa Clara - Redwood Yearbook (Santa Clara, CA)

Page 21 text:

The Athlete

Page 20 text:

Order of Appearance The Redwood 78 is dedicated to Henry (Schmitty) Schmidt for 50 years of exceptional service as trainer in the SCU Athletic Department 1927-1977 The Athlete I The Connoisseur TheFrosh The Reveler The Administrator The Athlete II The Sophomore The Club Member The Thespian The Prof ■ . I ' The Junior The Athlete Hi The Disciple The Senior

Page 22 text:

The Athlete Introduction - 5 I- 4b ■ n a society where competition seems to be stagnating the .individual rather than motivat- ing him, there is one area of compe- tition that goes far beyond motiva- tion and into the powerful force of human energy— athtletics. Jum- ping out of thts broad topic we have what is known as the athlete, an individual who looks at competition a little differentiv from most. The Athlete is an artist— the athletics he participates in is his art. At times, one who has this talent may know how oto do a certain thing, and may even be able to show how to do it, and yet may fail occasionally in doing it himself after ail; but the man with this ability must not be confounded. He is the oniy person who can carry his most shadowy precepts into successful application. The Athlete is unique in mind and body, and his strong points branch out from only one th ng— dedication. The perfection of his talent consists in the employment of a comprehensive system of laws; applicable to every purpose within its scope, but concealed from the eye of the specator. When a person is dedicated to a sport, he is dedicated not only to himself and a team, but to an audience as well. And unfortunately, as these people advance their tal- ents towards perfection, the science of criticism advances with equal pace, g orifying victory and humiliating defeat. When chips are down for the Athlete, the requirement to excel at 110% is always there. Even as the crowd starts filtering out the west gate early, an Athlete must still perform. The incredible amounts of mental and physical energy behind an Athlete must always be working in overdrive, day after day, week after week, no mat- ter if the outcome is successful of unsuccessful. So many things go through an Athlete ' s mind before stepping into competition. The thoughts of winning or losing no doubt creep into the picture of the so-called psych-up. Responsibility also steps in, keeping the mind and body motors ready to react on instinct. Not to mention all the personal goals which have accumulated through the week or possibly the year. All these things plus a lot of hard work and determination make up what an Athlete considers pride— pride in a sport— a shot at not only competing with competition but also a desire to keep pushing towards conquering it. BOBWALDOWSKI V .