Nov. 3, 2004
He's a member of the UCF Athletics Association Board of Directors and of the Pride and Traditions Committee. He's the co-president of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee and editor of its newsletter. He's involved in volunteer programs such as the Miracle League, You Can Finish, and Bright Knights. And he holds a school record in track and field. He is senior captain, Kiley Blake, and had his parents not made the decision to move to Florida, the community and the UCF cross country team wouldn't have benefited from his presence.
"I probably wouldn't have come to UCF if my parents hadn't moved here from Chicago three years ago. I prefer cooler weather."Luckily, Blake had a few years to adjust to the warmer and more humid climate. "It was tough when I first moved down here. It was in July and it was pretty tough to get in the swing of things. I had three years in high school to adapt to the heat so by the time I came to UCF I was used to it."
He decided to come to UCF for a number of reasons. "I knew the campus before I came here because my brother went to UCF and I already loved it. They have a great program for my major in computer science and I really liked the team and the coach," said Blake.
Since coming to UCF, Blake has made an impact both on and off the beaten path. "I think volunteering helps me out as a person, which is reflective of my running. When you help people who are less fortunate than you are, it puts having the opportunity to run in college into perspective."Athletes at UCF directly influence some of the programs aforementioned such as Bright Knights, You Can Finish, and the Miracle League. "In Bright Knights, we go to elementary schools and talk to the children there. We help them to find out what kind of goals they want to achieve and teach them how to be a Golden Knight." The program is affiliated with the UCF Athletics Marketing Department.
In the Miracle League, volunteers help handicapped children become involved with baseball. They assist on the field in running and catching.You Can Finish is an 8k road race in which volunteers help mainly with the water stops and the finish line. "It takes more than people think to put on a race," said Blake.
But it isn't easy trying to maintain a grueling schedule of practice, schoolwork, and volunteering. "The hardest thing I've had to learn in college is how to manage my time," said Blake. "Even when I was really tired at night I had to learn to push myself to do my homework.
Eventually I became better at scheduling my classes to allot time to study and do homework. I never kept a day planner until about two years ago and it's really helped. Balancing my schedule really isn't that hard anymore."
Even though his schedule is demanding, Blake believes his time is well spent. "You might as well help out if you can. It's something that I've done since I was little. It makes me feel better about myself if I can help someone else out," said Blake.
Blake claims his charitable nature is a habit he picked up from his childhood. "I've been around different forms of volunteering my whole life so it's just natural to keep doing it. I grew up playing sports and I really looked up to the coaches," said Blake. "Even though most of the coaches were dads, they weren't getting paid for it. Growing up, my dad always coached me and my siblings and that influenced me a lot. He's definitely been one of my role models."
And it's his parents' advice that has stuck with him through the years. "My parents brought me up with the notion that if there's something you believe in, go for it. As long as you know you've given your best you've done a good job. I come away from an experience learning something then I'm happy."
Perhaps his happiest moment came in the 2002-2003 season during which he set a school record in the 3,000m steeplechase with a time of 9:50.8. Even with all of his successes, he knows how to handle defeat. "It's frustrating when you don't win but you have to step back and realize that you gave it everything you could and that's all you can ask. I always try to look at things positively."
With the philosophy of "pay it forward" Blake has certainly put his positivism to good use.