July 18, 2003
“Complete Collegiate Experience” Set for Saturday: The second annual Complete College Experience, a one-day mentoring program solely created and designed by Kentucky football Antonio Hall, will be held on Saturday, July 19 at Memorial Coliseum from 9 a.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Hall, an All-Southeastern Conference offensive tackle from Canton, Ohio, created the program last summer to give middle school-age students a chance to experience the benefits of college before they undergo the peer pressures and rigorous demands of high school. The mentoring program promotes the importance of continuing education and athletics, providing a glimpse of the real college experience.
Last year, 13 local middle-school student-athletes participated in the program held on the UK campus.
“Last year was a good foundation for us to build on,” Hall said. “We had a great time and the word started spreading. This year the attendance has grown to over 30 middle-school students and there are more activities planned. We also have several people who are helping us make the program even better for the kids.”
The goals of CCE are three-fold: expose middle-school students to college life not just in athletics, but in academics and culture; inspire them to set goals to make the grade on- and off-the-field throughout their high school careers; and provide a window to show the endless opportunities for them once they get to college.
“When I was in the eighth grade, I was a knucklehead sometimes,” Hall said. “But a teacher took interest in me and took me to a University of Pittsburgh football game. I knew after watching those guys that I wanted to be a student-athlete and I didn’t want to do anything in high school to mess that up.”
“It’s an honor to again be a part of CCE and I applaud Antonio and thank him so much,” T.C. Johnson, the Youth Service Center Coordinator at Winburn Middle School said. “This program is so beneficial because a majority of our students have never been on a college campus. CCE brings more of an awareness of the partnership between athletics and academics. The earlier we can allow these middle-school students to experience the opportunities of higher education it may motivate them to do better.”
Hall, a gifted opera singer, has a major in music education at UK and plans to teach music to children following his playing career.
“Antonio has come to our school several times and the kids enjoy talking to him. We call him the ‘gentle giant,'” Johnson said. “They ask him so many questions and what surprises them the most is when he talks about his classes and how one of the main reasons he chose Kentucky was for its music major. When they think of athletics they don’t think of the education part. Some of our student-athletes do well academically during their playing season and then ‘slack off’ when the season is over. CCE will hopefully change that way of thinking.”
Around 10 other UK student-athletes from various sports have joined in the effort with Hall to provide assistance during the day and answer questions about college athletics.
“Antonio has set the model for other college student-athletes to get involved and give back to the community,” Johnson said. “The more we can get our kids to partner with the community the better we, as a community, will be in the future.”
Hall hopes the program will continue to grow even after he graduates from UK.
“If it hadn’t have been for my experience as an eighth-grader, I’m not sure I would have been serious enough about high school to even make it to college,” Hall said. “When you have a goal to work toward it helps you stay focused. My goal was to become a college football player and study music and now I’m doing both. If CCE helps just one student achieve his or her goals, then it’s all worth it.”
Schedule of Events:
9:00 – Check-in at CATS (Center for Academic and Tutorial Services) located in Memorial Coliseum
9:45 – Welcome/Introduction
10:00 – Tour of CATS
10:30 – Tour of Memorial Coliseum
11:15 – Tour of Singletary Art Center
11:30 – Performance by Antonio Hall
12:30 – Step Show by Omega Psi Phi fraternity
12:50 – Cookout at Memorial
2:30 – Tour of Nutter Training Facility
3:15 – Team Building Activities – Nutter
4:30 – Tour of Nutter Field House
5:00 – Tour of Commonwealth Stadium/Highlight Film
6:00 – Movie at Stadium/Pizza Party
8:00 – Closing/Questions/Autographs
Kentucky Football Calendar:
July 29-31 SEC Football Media Days; Kentucky appearance is Tue. July 29 with Coach Rich Brooks, wide receiver Derek Abney, and defensive end Vincent "Sweet Pea" BurnsWed. Aug. 6 All players report (veterans and newcomers)Thurs. Aug. 7 Final exams for summer school First practice, time TBAFri. Aug. 8 Practice, time TBASat. Aug. 9 Practice, time TBA "Fans' Day" at Commonwealth StadiumSun. Aug. 10 Practice, time TBAMon. Aug. 11 First full-contact practice, time TBAWed. Aug. 27 Classes beginSun. Aug. 31 Louisville at Kentucky, 6:30 p.m. EDT, televised by espn2
“Fans’ Day” Set for Aug. 9: The annual Kentucky Football “Fans’ Day” will be held Sat. Aug. 9 at Commonwealth Stadium. Times and details of the event will be released soon.
