Knights Rookie Camp

ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – To kick off the academic year, the office of Student-Athlete Welfare and Development is hosting a series of programs to help incoming freshmen transition into their new lifestyle at UCF.
 
Held in the Wayne Densch Center for Student-Athlete Leadership, over 80 freshmen attended the first Knights Rookie Camp program series focusing on time management.
 
Wednesday night's program touched on how to understand time management and the many forms it can take, in addition to identifying distractions student-athletes may face and how to combat those distractions by knowing themselves and their goals.
 
"Time management is such an important topic to not overlook, especially for our freshmen," said Lizzy Whitbeck, Assistant Director for Student-Athlete Welfare and Development. "Stepping onto campus for the first time, our student-athletes are going to be challenged in new and different ways academically, athletically and socially."
 
The program included several interactive activities that challenged the freshmen Knights to not only work as a team, but also know how to prioritize tasks and understand their values in order to set goals while holding themselves accountable. Program facilitators and former UCF track and field student-athletes, Christal Peterson and Chelsea Gobourne, concluded the night with the ending thought, "Are your distractions bigger than your goals?"
 
"Any time we have the opportunity gather a group of student-athletes in a room to better themselves and those around them, we strengthen the family culture we have here at UCF," said Whitbeck.
 
The remaining programs for the Knights Rookie Camp series will focus on effective communication, major/career exploration, goal setting, and preparation for sophomore year.
 
In addition to the Knights Rookie Camp, the office provides a transitional series of programming for all freshmen who come to campus in the summer. The Summer Knights series is a combination of programs such as campus resources, nutrition, mental health, and personal development in addition to having meetings with their academic advisors, attending team-building activities, and taking part in a community service initiative.