With a national election for U.S. President looming on the horizon in November 2020, Roadrunner Athletics has taken a major step in educating our young athletes on the importance of voting as it relates to the future of our country.
Roadrunner Voting Initiative, which also correlates strongly with National Voter Registration Day on Tuesday, September 22, is currently educating Roadrunner Athletes on the importance of voting, as well as community and personal responsibility. The Athletics Department has also mandated that there will be no workouts or practices on Election Day to emphasize the importance of the day and allow all athletes, coaches and staff the opportunity to be involved in community efforts.
And with national and local elections set to occur on Tuesday, November 3, this initiative has thus far made a solid impact on Roadrunner teams and athletes.
"The pandemic and changes to the lives of all our young people makes it especially important that they are informed and get involved in civics in order to shape the world they want to live in," said Brian Rowan, Executive Director of Athletics. "Our initiative is aimed at registration and voter education and we hope will lead to informed student-athlete voters."
Roadrunner athletic teams have moved forward to make the initiative work. Men's basketball Coach Will Logan and Women's Basketball skipper Rich Cooper are leading the charge.
Logan has held private and group meetings with players on the men's basketball team to help the athletes understand the voting process. The coaching staff will also offer critical help such as voter registration and education.
"We stress that while voting in a Presidential election is important on a national level, it's even more important to participate in your local elections," said Logan, who is in his second year as head coach. "Change needs to happen locally through your local mayors, state officials and your governors. These are the people who get the jobs done in the communities.
"Our jobs as coaches with this initiative is to help these young men understand their roles within their communities and to act as responsible young adults."
Cooper has addressed similar issues in meetings with his women's basketball players -- and the coaching staff has extended its help in all directions.
"We had a meeting about this as a team, and our first goal was to help the ladies register in their local communities," Cooper noted. "We also have canceled all practices and workouts on election day to make sure we vote as a group as best we can. We will also address situations such as mail-in ballots etc. as they arise and help out the players in any way possible.
"The players are very receptive to our help. They understand what's going on in the world, and they want to be part of some positive change. They see we need to get our voices heard."
First singles women's tennis player Madelyn Beecroft as well as all the student athletes, appreciates the efforts on behalf of Roadrunner Athletics.
"Understanding the voting process and our own responsibilities within our communities is important," she said. "We certainly appreciate the coaches helping us understand how and when to vote and our roles in the election."
To learn more about voter registration, including a voter registration application, where to find your local polling location, and how to vote by mail, click on the RCSJ link below: