The Richmond Spider Leadership Initiative took part in an immersive learning experience earlier this month when several student-athletes from six sports took a trip to downtown Richmond to learn about history and the leaders that played a role in the city's past. The purpose of our Richmond Spiders Leadership Immersion is to develop leadership skills in the areas of authenticity, decision-making, dignity, communication and legacy.
"This was a tremendous opportunity for our student-athletes to study the history of Richmond and how leadership has transformed our world," said Senior Associate Athletic Director Lauren Wicklund. "From the drastic changes on Monument Avenue, tours at the Black History Museum and Virginia State Capitol, and quiet reflection time at Belle Isle. Our student-athletes took away lessons from past leaders to help them become strong leaders for our present and future."
The trip aligned with Richmond's vision to create a family of champion leaders, bringing together underclassmen from various teams and utilizing the rich history of downtown Richmond to create connection, discussion and practical application.
"It was a great experience to take time to self-reflect on our core values as a student athlete," said junior men's golf student-athlete Alex Campbell. "Learning more about myself in order to create a positive environment will help my team and I out a lot in the future."
Spider student-athletes got a chance to learn about several different historic areas, monuments and leaders throughout Richmond's history. The Spiders began the day with a tour on Monument Avenue at the Arthur Ashe statue, where Deputy Director of Athletics/SWA LaRee Sugg shared her personal story of how Ashe's leadership impacted her life, as well as his legacy and commitment to service.
The group also stopped for a discussion on the importance of leadership and how it can change over time at the Tredegar Ironworks Museum and the Abraham Lincoln statue before a solitude walk across the T. Tyler Potterfield Memorial Bridge to reflect on their leadership roles.
Back on campus, the group also reflected and wrote gratitude letters to someone in their life that they wanted to thank for their support throughout their journey. They also filled out a Squad U assessment that helps identify their style and strengths as a student-athlete leader.
"One of the biggest takeaways from participating in the Leadership Immersion was the results from our SquadU assessments," said women's lacrosse sophomore Colleen Quinn. "Hearing about the everyone's individual results was very interesting, and I especially liked learning about my own different aspects that make me a leader. This allowed me to become more confident in those aspects and embrace them to be the best leader I can be."
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