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Jessica Pattison knew a lot about volleyball before this summer, and she also knew a lot about the University of Louisiana athletic program as vice-president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
But five days of interaction with student-athletes from across the country taught her something about leadership ... and about herself.
The Maurice native represented UL at the NCAA's annual Leadership Conference, held at Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., in June.
"It really opened my eyes," said Pattison, whose Cajun squad opened its 2006 season Friday and Saturday in its own Capital One Classic tournament. "Getting a chance to share experiences with a lot of people who are in similar situations, it was an amazing experience."
Pattison, a former standout at Lafayette High and one of three seniors on UL's roster, was one of 352 athletes from all NCAA competition levels (Divisions I, II and III) selected to participate in the conference. A total of 1,319 student-athletes were nominated by NCAA members, with UL compliance coordinator Kristi Stake nominating Pattison.
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Dan McDonald
dmcdonald@theadvertiser.com
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"Everyone that was nominated had to write an essay on leadership in a non-athletic situation," Pattison said. "They picked it from there. Just to be nominated is a huge accomplishment."
The conference was designed to enhance leadership and decision-making skills. It also provided participants an opportunity to address athletics issues including sportsmanship, public perception of college athletes and social responsibilities.
Participants also worked with counselors on potential career directions and took part in team-building exercises and games. Attendees worked with participants from all divisions and all sports, with no distinctions except for discussions on division-specific issues.
"We were all split up and mixed up," Pattison said. "It didn't matter what sport you played or what division you were in. We were pretty much all on a neutral ground. The conference itself, it's really hard to describe or explain, but it was one of the best experiences I've ever had in my life."
Pattison is acting president of UL's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee after serving as vice president last year. Last year's president, baseball player Jameson Parker, graduated at the end of the spring semester.
In fact, most of the student-athletes who participated in the NCAA conference served on SAAC groups on their campus or in their athletic conference.
"Being involved there has given me better knowledge about the program," Pattison said, "and it's given me a leadership role. But meeting other people who are in similar circumstances, and talking about some of the things they've done, was a great experience."
The conference and her work with the SAAC has helped Pattison with another challenge, this one being physical. She's gone through four surgeries over the past two years, including a bi-lateral on both knees, and those problems limited her to 20 matches and 15 starts last season.
"I've had some adversity there," she said, "but some of the things I've learned I've been able to use both on and off the court. I understand a lot more and can deal with a lot more. It's opened up a lot of doors for me."
Jessica Pattison helped lead her UL volleyball squad to a 30-19, 30-25, 30-22 win over Southeastern La. in Friday night's season opener. She had eight kills and only one error along with a team-high two blocks. In Saturday afternoon's five-game loss to Southern Miss, she added seven kills and three more blocks.
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