INDIANAPOLIS - The Great Midwest Athletic Conference was ready to send three different student-athlete representatives and one administrator to this year’s NCAA Leadership Forum out in Los Angeles.
Cedarville’s Joshua Brown (track and field) and Stephanie Zonars (assistant AD/SWA), Trevecca Nazarene’s Madison Martin (volleyball) and Ursuline’s Bekah Green (women’s basketball) were set to participate in the event that was scheduled to start last Thursday and run through the weekend.
Due to COVID-19, unfortunately, the 2020 NCAA Leadership Forum was canceled and the conference was able to catch up remotely with the student-athletes from their respective hometowns.
Our third feature is with Cedarville's Brown, a sophomore who specializes in the short sprints.
Josh Brown
School: Cedarville
Sport: Track & Field
Events: Short Sprints (200m, 400m, relays)
Year: Sophomore
Hometown: Chicago, IL
High School: Lane Tech
Major: Finance
Ben (Great Midwest): What motivated you to want to attend the NCAA Leadership Forum?
Josh Brown: Initially, I had heard about it through SAAC and Stephanie Zonars, who was also scheduled to attend from administrator role this year. I filled out the application feeling optimistic and did a little bit more research to see exactly what this event really was. Stephanie then picked from a small pool of applicants from Cedarville to go to the conference level and I was glad to be picked. You have people coming from DI, DII and DIII, and these different backgrounds from all parts of the country coming together. I had also never been to California before either. Every two years, the team goes to Georgia (Emory Invitational) for a meet.
Ben: Leadership in the sport track and field is unique. You can be scattered at different points all around a facility most of the day. How do you classify a strong leader in your sport?
JB: In track and field, leadership looks different as opposed to say basketball and football. Leadership comes from a supporitve role being there for somebody. A leader cares about you and your successes on and off the track. It’s also making sure that you care for your teammates because that’s how relationships are built and you can encourage people to better themselves. In times where you might want to rest, get out to your other teammates’ events and cheer.
Ben: Talk a little bit about your personal development in track over the past two years
JB: This indoor season was a whirlwind - I’ve been dealing with some injuries. I wasn’t able to go to as many meets as I wanted to. But I still wanted to support the team from the outside in. I needed to push myself and look past what I was going through off the track. Unfortunately, my freshman year was a lot of dealing with some injuries as well. Things diddn’t really pan out at the end of the year and I wanted to stay optimistic and positive with a new mindset going into 2019-20. Through that, there were some opportunities and we broke a 4x200 relay school record, one of the only relay races I wa able to compete in. Even though I’ve been injured, I still felt good that I could make an impact. I was ready for the outdoor season and ready to deal with the injury to push as hard as I could to not miss as many meets. It’s pretty unfortunate to not be able to compete. I’m still feeling really grateful to be able to run the races I was able to.
Ben: Illinois was one of the first states to shut down due to COVID-19. From Chicago to Cedarville is also a stark contrast. How are you holding up at this point?
JB: Things have been difficult in Chicago. I’m able to leave to go to the grocery store, maybe once a week. I’m trying to keep up with school and just really missing the school environment. I was supposed to have an internship this summer that was actually canceled recently. Mentally it’s been tough, but I’m still trusting in Christ that he has a plan. Things could be worse - there are lot of people out there that are suffering more. I lost my internship, the outdoor track season, and there are people literally fighting for their lives from this pandemic. To keep it in perspective, I’m healthy, my parents are healthy and I’m trying to keep that grounded mindset to keep pushing forward.
Ben: What is your major and some of your future aspirations?
JB: I’m a finance major at Cedarville. I’m not sure about which sector I want to go. The internship would have helped me understand which sector to get into. I’m a big people person and I want to be able to interact with clientele and customers that best benefits the company and the employee.
Ben: What have you been been able to do to fill up free time?
JB: Definitely a lot of Doordash and Uber Eats. I have a few grocery receipts for junk food that I shouldn’t be eating. Combination of Netflix/Hulu (All-American, 3rd season of Ozark, Outer Banks, Law & Order SVU) and still keeping myself on a regimented schedule. I also enjoy talking with friends and making sure they are doing well.
Ben: What brought you to Cedarville from Chicago?
JB: Cedarville has a Christ-centered education. When I started the college process I was exposed from an early age going to a summer camp up in northern Michigan. From sixth grade I received mail and I applied in my senior year as more of backup plan. I went and visited with a friend and fell in love with the campus and the community and everything Cedarville represents. I wanted to be at the school more than I wanted to run track. Track isn’t guaranteed, but I’m there for the education. I had some communications with Coach (Jeff) Bolender. I love the school and everything it stands for.
Ben: With so many teammates on your roster, how is the group sticking together in these times?
JB: We have Snapchat group chats/Bible study on Wednesday’s. We have also had a Zoom call with the entire team and talked through some updates with Facetime. Ryan Rager is one of the most hardest working people I’ve been exposed to. He trained really hard and surprised everybody his sophomore year and is super encouraging. He’s been one of the guys that has been checking in on me. He cares about his teammates and is really inspiring and someone that I hope I can mirror when my time comes. Caleb Carrico just took me under his wings and it felt like he was a big brother to me. He showed me the ropes and made me feel like a friend and a teammate.
Ben: How would you describe your current leadership style?
JB: It really depends on the situation I’m in. I ask myself what do I need to do adapt to this certain group of people. I try to be a friend and approachable as someone people can come to. Relationship means the most in leadership. I try to lead by example and if I’m going to say something, I will go ahead and do that and live that out. I want to stay healthy and participate in as many meets as possible for 2020-21 and keep a positive attitude no matter what happens with this.