GNAC Student-Athlete Spotlight - SAAC & Kayla Cummings

Every college is a community. The strength of that community and the feeling of togetherness is what connects people to their school while they go there and long after they have graduated. At Anna Maria College they are working to build that sense of community in the athletics program.

Roughly two-and-a-half years ago the school started a Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) with the help of head volleyball coach Samantha Shomo. Shomo, who attended Western New England and played volleyball there, was very involved in SAAC in her time as an undergraduate.  The experience introduced her to many new people and connected her to the rest of the athletics program. She wanted to bring that feeling to Anna Maria.

"I really wanted to bring the sports together," Shomo said. "There was really big divide. Well you have your team and I have my team. We are all at the same school so we are on the same team which bridged the gap."

Her other goal was to get non-athletes involved in sports at Anna Maria through Super Fan nights and give-aways.

Things started off slowly for the program as membership and attendance at meetings were low. But then they started to gain real leaders and now Shomo is just there as an advisor.

Despite the slow start, SAAC President Kayla Cummings was not worried that the program would fail.

"I had a lot of faith," Cummings said. "Most of my friends are athletes too so I knew that most of us are really driven and motivated so we possess those qualities naturally."

A volleyball player, Cummings got involved with the program because of her coach. She has become the driving force behind SAAC according to Shomo.

Cummings was attracted to the position because she liked that it would give student-athletes a voice in the athletics administration. She felt she was a good fit because she had a lot of friends who were athletes too so she would be a good representative to speak up for them and could motivate them to get involved .

"It was a really good feeling to know that some of my peers had confidence in me to lead the very first SAAC group," Cummings said. "I was really excited because I had a lot of good ideas and it was good to know they had the confidence in me to get SAAC off the ground."

In addition to being the voice of the student-athletes, Cummings runs the meetings and coordinates with the program's executive board to create an agenda. She also helps plan the community service events and other happenings around campus.

One of the big events that SAAC runs is a mock beauty pageant that features athletes competing for the coveted title of Mr. or Ms. AMCAT.

"It was really funny for everyone to watch their peers perform on stage in a way that they're not really used to," Cummings said. "It was a lot of work and a lot of people put in a lot of effort and it was really great to see it have such success. To see everyone be so excited for it this year makes it really worthwhile."

They also run an event call the Bench for the Cause where athletes compete to see who can bench press the most weight. The proceeds go to the Worcester Boys and Girls Club.

Beyond the events, SAAC has taught many of the students involved how to act professionally and to transfer some of their on-field skills off the field.

"Having a group that is a part of our athletic department aside from actually performing on the field is a really good way to conduct ourselves in a way that we are going to have to after we graduate in our real jobs," Cummings said. "People don't see us as the athletes. They see us as part of the community presenting great ideas."

The program's charter pushes the idea of creating a positive image of student-athletes in the community which Shomo and Cummings have tried to foster as the program grows.

"Leading by service, which is a really big part of our school, being a Catholic institution, we're athletes leading by service," Cummings said. "That shows that we're really here to make a positive impact. When one team gets involved in a service we want to get everyone involved."

One such program that fits that bill is Team Impact. The program, which the AMCAT football team is involved in, pairs up a team with a child facing life-threatening or chronic illness. That team then becomes a new support group for the child who is welcomed as an honorary member of the squad. Shomo and Cummings are working to get more teams at Anna Maria involved with this program.

As SAAC builds stronger individuals, it also builds a stronger athletic program that brings its participants together, which is important to Shomo.

"Students who are 18, 19, 20, they want to contribute to something bigger," Shomo said. "They get to contribute to their team and Anna Maria athletics as a whole. I hope they will value having been part of a larger community of AMCATS athletics and that they will want to contribute to whatever other communities they are in."

That sense of being part of something greater is a large part of what SAAC has brought to Anna Maria, allowing the athletes to expand their horizons and branch out from their individual teams.

"We are so used to being on our own teams and hanging out with our own crowd," Cummings said. "Now I have friends who play, for example men's lacrosse. When you see people on campus you feel comfortable approaching them. Just meeting so many new people and knowing that other people are having the same issues or same successes and being able to share, that brings everyone together."

Part of what brings the different teams together is a brother and sister program that SAAC has established. This system pairs up two teams to go to the each other's games. For example, the women's cross country team is paired with the baseball team so they go to each other's events.

Knowing that they have the support of other teams and the student body as a whole is big for Cummings and her AMCATS teammates.

"It's a great feeling to know that you're working towards that goal of winning on and off the court for the school," Cummings said. "That sense of pride that it instills that we're all sort of fighting for the same thing and we all have the same struggles and we can all struggle together."

For Cummings, who graduates in May, this is her final semester at the helm of SAAC but she isn't worried about the future of the program.

"Everybody has so many great ideas and we have so many great leaders," Cummings said. "They're just gonna keep it going and continue the traditions and create new ones as well. It going to be a club that everyone wants to be involved in. Seeing how prestigious SAAC is on other campuses , I can't wait to come back and look at our SAAC and how prestigious it's going to be in the future."

*Written by GNAC Communications Specialist, Eddie Lockhart