Class Focus: Tending to Mind, Body and Soul Creates a Champion

Much more than just a scheduled workout program, In the Mind of a Champion is a new class offering at Eagle Rock School that asks participating students to reflect on their own mind, body, and spirit, and to also consider how the world currently aligns with their personal values.

With intent on developing a personalized physical fitness program, students are also being asked to contemplate on how the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement and COVID-19 have had an impact on professional athletes.

Led by Jocelyn Rodriguez, Eagle Rock’s athletics coordinator, and Dan Marigny, a 2020/2021 Public Allies Fellow, students enrolled in this class are listening, researching, and speaking up about how the coronavirus has changed the way sports are viewed, and how athletes are now standing in solidarity on issues put forth by social justice movements like Black Lives Matter. Specifically, each student is asked how they may be able to adopt these athletes’ platform practices into their own lives.

In addition to highlighting aspects of their physical workout with Jocelyn and Don each week, students are asked to reflect on their mind, body, and spirit and how each aspect contributes to their personal views on the world around them and what it means to be a “champion.” Specifically, they are asked for their take on why athletes in various sports have opted out of participating in their current season, dedicating  time to activism, and walked off of fields and courts to make a statement about the importance of justice.

What is each student expected to take away from this class? Simply put, the primary objective is to understand the significance of one’s mind, body, and spirit and how each contributes to help investigate their own identity, self, and responsibilities in the context of today’s sports atmosphere.

There are three long-term learning targets associated with this class (written below in the voice of the student):

• Assessing how my individual identity and leadership style can influence my views and interpretation of the United States
• Create and maintain a regular physical activity schedule, based on my individual fitness objectives.
• Analyze the political and social context of how COVID-19 and the Black Lives Matter movement has impacted sports in the United States

So, it’s not all about imputing workout information into a fitness spreadsheet, although that is certainly part of the experience. As you can see, this class is about developing leadership skills, developing case studies from the news, and plenty of roundtable discussions and healthy debates about the purpose of professional sports in these days of uncertainty.