PRESIDENT'S LETTER

“If I waited until I had all my ducks in a row, I’d never make it across the street. Sometimes you just have to gather up what you’ve got and make a run for it.” Judge Lynn Toler

I think most of our ducks were lined up quite well for the start of our 2022-23 year. Thank you to our hospitality committee for providing a great choice of breakfast goodies to welcome us back. Our Public Policy team presented a great update on many current issues, especially on the ever-changing education agenda before the AZ legislature. The team is going to remind us, challenge us, and bring us the latest information this year.

Welcome to our newest members, two of whom were with us and introduced themselves. We look forward to your participation and expertise. Our Special Interest Groups are busy, I heard many plans being made, and several e-blasts of information have already been in my email. The Board approved a new budget with some needed increases for our committees to continue and improve their dedicated work.

We had a basket raffle and made another $180 for our scholarships. The fund-raising committee is active and planning. I think we’ll see some new initiatives this year. You’ve already seen some changes in the delivery of the Branch newsletter. Constant Contact, a widely used company of digital and email marketing is being used. If you didn’t get your newsletter, check your spam or junk mail. My first one went there as my email service didn’t recognize the “sender”. I moved it to my inbox, and voila, no more issues with it.

I can’t promise a duck isn't going to wander here and there, but with our Board, committees, and your help, we’re in a line to help implement our Mission. See you in October! 

Karen Bunting, President 2022-23

All four students were recruited to play either basketball or volleyball and all received scholarships.

GCC Teams belong to the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA). They can travel up to three hours for a game. GCC is known for its good volleyball teams; they won the Nationals in 2016.

Balancing of sports activities (games, travel, practice, dinners) with academics and personal life is VERY challenging during the basketball/volleyball seasons. It is hard to prioritize but they must keep up on academics or they lose their scholarships. They either live at home or in an apartment – when they leave the house, they look like “pack animals” since they have to bring everything with them for all activities during that day. To manage they must have decent time-management skills. They generally squeeze in homework before practice or a game and for a few hours after. One student schedules class for only 3 days, so she can deal with life chores on the other days. It can be overwhelming, but they get support from teammates and coaches when necessary.

Sports and team play have contributed substantially to their personal lives. They've learned essential life skills and core characteristics: staying disciplined, working as a team, getting along with persons from different backgrounds or that you don’t necessarily like, and becoming more extroverted.

Concerning gender parity in sports, they feel this exists at GCC. They hang out socially with men’s teams and find the men are very supportive of women’s teams. Each shows up to the other’s games, sometimes because games are scheduled close to theirs, but also because there’s a natural connection and understanding between athletes. Men's and women’s teams have so much in common they appreciate and understand what each other is going through.

Their early interest in sports and their families' support of their interest was universal. All of the women were athletic as children and most enjoyed playing numerous sports when younger. Their families encouraged their pursuit of sports and also played a role in helping each decide which sport to specialize in for high school and college. One woman's dad wanted her to pursue basketball but she selected volleyball because her mom played volleyball in school and was a significant role model for her. One student’s interest in sports spawned from following her brother around and playing everything that he played.