University of Minnesota Athletics
MVG Spotlight: Clarke and Wiebke
1/14/2015 12:00:00 AM | Student-Athlete Development
The University of Minnesota and the Gopher athletics student-athlete development program will recognize one male and one female student-athlete each month, who have gone above and beyond the call of duty as ambassadors of the maroon and gold. New this year, Gopher athletics will announce its `Most Valuable Gophers' at the start of each month. This month's award goes out two individuals who have shown leadership on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee in swimming's Christie Clarke and track/cross country's Derek Wiebke.
Criteria for the award will be based on one or more of the three student-athlete development areas:
• Leadership - leadership roles on athletic team, Student-Athlete Advisory Committee representatives, student group participation, campus panels, team hosts or other roles as ambassadors of the Maroon and Gold, campus committees
• Professional Development - embracing career opportunities on campus and programs offered by the athletics department, to include: internships, volunteer and part-time employment focused on career development.
• Commitment to Service - volunteering through MAGIC and on their own in the community (may or may not be career related). All hours considered are logged through the University of Minnesota system.
January 2015 Female MVG: Christie Clarke (swimming & diving)
Clarke, a senior swimmer from East Brunswick, N.J., holds an integral role in the upcoming Unlimited Dance Marathon, held March 28 at the Sports Pavilion. She is spearheading the Gopher student-athlete involvement of the event and has helped increase fundraising efforts under her leadership. Along with being a member of the student-athlete advisory committee, Clarke has logged over 190 hours of community service work during her Gopher tenure.
Q: You're on the Student-Athlete Advisory Executive Committee. How did that transpire and what is your role with SAAC?
Christie Clarke: It is honestly an honor to work with four other wonderful board members. I joined SAAC the second semester of my freshman year because one of my teammates encouraged me that it would be a wonderful opportunity. She was right. SAAC has got me more involved than ever at the University and has given me life changing opportunities. I am in charge of the Unlimited Dance Marathon group and have loved every minute of it. Unlimited started last year on SAAC with Chris Hawthorne and myself after taking a trip to Penn State and seeing what THON brought to their community. Without SAAC, Anissa Lightner and Peyton Owens III, events like Unlimited wouldn't be possible. I think it is important that all my teammates know what SAAC is all about. It has given me wonderful opportunities and I only want my teammates to experience things like the Big Ten SAAC conference as well.
Q: For those who don't know, what is Unlimited and how have you been involved?
CC: Unlimited is a 12 hour no sitting no sleeping event that is going to be held in the Sports Pavilion March 28. All of our proceeds throughout the year go to this event, which in terms goes to the University of Minnesota Masonic Children's Hospital. Last year we raised over $29,000 and our goal for this year is to beat that amount! The actual event will be held from noon to midnight and includes performances, a DJ, and families from the children's hospital as a day to celebrate all the hard work and money that we raised. It gives the students at the university a chance to interact with the kids from the hospital and see what all their hard work is going towards. Every school in the Big Ten made it a goal to have a dance marathon last year and so that is how Unlimited came about. It is a chance to bond the University of Minnesota students because everyone is allowed to come to the event with free admission, along with bonding the Big Ten schools together. Personally I love Unlimited because it is a day of celebration, and although a lot of hard work goes into planning the event, it is all worth it in the end.
Q: Now that you've had a year of experience with Unlimited, what can people expect in the second year?
CC: Year two of Unlimited will only be bigger and better. Year one was a learning experience and have already made some adjustments. For instance, last year the event was from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. in Mariucci Arena, this year the event will be from 12 p.m. to 12 a.m. in the Sports Pavilion. Although the event will only get better with time and as we raise more awareness, things are already falling into place more easily. The Unlimited Executive Committee has really bonded throughout the year and all understand that we are working towards the same goal and raise money for the children's a hospital. I don't want to give away too much for the day of the event, but rather have them experience it for themselves. However, I will say that there will be team performances, along with student group performances and families from the hospital coming to talk and even some give aways! So please take an hour out of your day and come support the Dance Marathon, who knows you may end up staying until the end for the big reveal of how much money we raised!
January 2015 Male MVG: Derek Wiebke (cross country/track & field)
Wiebke, a red-shirt freshman with the track team, is a newly appointed student-athlete advisory executive committee nomination. Over the last year and a half with the Gopher program, Wiebke has done over 67 community service hours. During the Gopher Athletics recent toy drive, he volunteered at every event and accumulated over 20 hours in the month of December. He was also the primary student-athlete involved in the mini track clinic, which brings Native American students to campus to focus on healthy lifestyles and nutrition.
Q: What's your favorite event with MAGIC?
Derek Wiebke: My favorite events through the MAGIC program are always events in which the student-athletes get the chance to interact with children (and their families) who are dealing with some type of hardship. Because of this, I always enjoy events sponsored by HopeKids and visiting the University of Minnesota Masonic Children's Hospital. I feel these types of events really give student-athletes the chance to put a smile on someone's face. I also feel that events like these give me a reality check, and allow me to see that there are more important things in life than sports and grades. When volunteering, I feel like I am where I am supposed to be, and at most myself.
Q: You volunteered for every toy drive during the month of December. What caused you to help out and talk about getting people to donate for Toys for Tots.
DW: Asking people to donate money can be an intimidating and difficult volunteer position for many people, including myself. I knew that many of the student-athletes would be heading home for holiday break, so we would need more volunteers for the Toy Drive. I decided to sign-up for all of the available positions remaining in the month of December. I was hesitant at first, but these events really proved to be worthwhile. It absolutely warms my heart to see how many generous people there are. It was also a rewarding experience because I got the chance to meet and form more connections with student-athletes from other teams.
Q: You've been nominated to be on the SAAC committee. Talk about that role and what you've done, including running the track clinic.
DW: I was recently elected to be a member the SAAC Executive Board for the 2015-2016 academic year. I have always wanted to make a difference and I feel SAAC gives student-athletes the power to make their voice heard. One of my goals is to get more student-athletes to volunteer, especially my teammates on the cross country and track and field team. I recently worked with Student-Athlete Development and a couple of members from the women's team to organize a Mini Track Clinic for Native American children in the surrounding area. This will be one of my first events that I help organize, and I hope to contribute more ideas and organize more events in the near future. I think that we should organize more events like this through more of the sports teams to inform children from all over the area the importance of nutrition, academics, exercise, and an overall healthy lifestyle.
Players Mentioned
