ESCANABA---The Bay College Norse athletes are back on the Escanaba campus as the new school year is about to get going.
The students moved into their dorms (or in some cases hotel rooms) this week, with the volleyball and cross country seasons starting, and the basketball, baseball, and softball seasons coming down the road.
This has been Student-Athlete Orientation Week, with the Norse athletes meeting with college officials on their classes, financial aid, campus jobs, and other issues. On Thursday, the 100 or so athletes had sessions on public relations, led by Sports Information Director Mike Pankow, who is also the school's baseball coach.
The students heard from local media members as Pankow discussed how Norse athletes can work to positively promote the college, and themselves, in the community. He says that while many of the sophomores are used to this, the incoming freshmen aren't.
“Just getting them acclimated to what to expect in the college atmosphere and what to expect on the athletic side,” Pankow said. “We found that just bringing them here and throwing them into the fire isn't conducive to the college experience. Giving them the information and getting them ready for college life.”
While the power-points presentation Thursday was not about dictating what students can and cannot say, it did ask them to remember to portray the college, themselves, and their respective teams, in a positive way. It also focused on how social media, interviews, and other public interactions, can cause problems, even if done inadvertently.
“I just got done telling the kids that my first cell phone was when I was a sophomore in college and I couldn't take pictures,” Pankow said. “The world is completely different, and they have to be mindful of everything they put on social media. Where they are, who they're with, and who's snapping those pictures, and where they're going.”
“It's a totally different world, and I'm teaching them something I never had to deal with when I was their age,” he continued. “It's definitely a different landscape. I think our student-athletes are equipped to handle it well.”
Some of the Norse athletes have also been doing some public outreach this week, helping to man the Radio Results Network booth at the Upper Peninsula State Fair.
The first Norse team to get started is the volleyball team, which will leave Friday for Rockford, Ill., for two matches each on Saturday and Sunday. The cross country running teams will start in early September, and the baseball and softball teams will start fall practices and scrimmages. The men's and women's basketball teams open their seasons in early November, but will be practicing and playing scrimmages well before that.
More information on the Norse teams will be posted at www.baynorse.com.
