August 7, 2012

Carson-Newman football players reach out to Virginia Beach community, train with Navy SEALs

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – The Navy SEALs motto reads “The only easy day was yesterday.” Carson-Newman football players experienced several intense, but meaningful days over the weekend – performing community service in the Virginia Beach area and training with the U.S. Navy SEALs.

For interviews with Kevin Day, Jaycob Coleman and Zack Fleming, click here.

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – The Navy SEALs motto reads "The only easy day was yesterday." Carson-Newman football players experienced several intense, but meaningful days over the weekend – performing community service in the Virginia Beach area and training with the U.S. Navy SEALs.

All-SAC center and senior leader Kevin Day was one of 15 football players to make the 519-mile bus ride to the Atlantic Coast. Day called the weekend a once in a lifetime opportunity that he's gotten to experience twice.

"Community service is always great because you're helping others, especially when you're going eight and nine hours away because people might not know who we are," Day said. "There aren't many people to do things with Navy SEALs and hear people that we got to hear speak over the last two years.

"This trip was probably the most amazing because Mike Day (no relation) came in and talked to us. He was shot 27 times in battle; lived, and came in and spoke to us. He showed us exit wounds on his body and told us stories that you'd never get to hear."

The players as well as head coach Ken Sparks and assistant Dino Waites went door-to-door talking to people in the community and helping London Bridge Baptist Church with an upcoming event.

The trip was junior linebacker Jaycob Coleman's first. The Eagles' fourth leading tackler from 2011 helped teach a Sunday school class.

"One of the good qualities in a leader is about being able to serve other people," Coleman said. "It's not all about being put up on a pedestal and talking down to people. It's more about getting down with someone and helping to build them up to get them to the same position you're in."

The Christ-centered approach to the weekend's events makes it more meaningful for senior defensive lineman and player committee member Zack Fleming.

"It's always a great experience getting to share Christ with new people and get a fresh perspective on things," Fleming said. "It's the impact you know you have, but also the impact you don't know you have by representing Carson-Newman and Christ wherever you go."

Day indicated that even though he had participated in the event before, he still learned something new.

"Make sure you peg it out," Day said. "It's a great testimony to be able to say, no matter what it is, whether it's football, whether it's community service, whether it's your walk with Christ, everything peg it out to your max. You never know how far your max is until you push it out to that point."

While working with the Navy SEALs, C-N's football players learn leadership skills they can apply at the beginning of fall practice, which begins Thursday.

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