This morning, approximately 80 students from Frazer Elementary School will have the opportunity to tour some of the most distinguished sports venues in Syracuse.

SynerCuse, a group developed for sport management majors, will host a reading initiative event called ‘Getting on Track.’ The event will involve a combination of guest speakers, athlete demonstrations, tours and presentations.

‘Our SynerCuse team has been working on this event since last year,’ said Jina Song, a co-general manager for the SynerCuse. ‘It takes a lot of organizing and preparing for an event like this because it involves so many different people.

The ‘Getting on Track’ program stresses the importance of reading and the relationship sports has to academics. Eighty elementary school students will get the opportunity to listen not only to a variety of influential people, but also become presenters themselves. The students have completed projects, which focus on individuals who have used their athletic talents and abilities to go beyond sports.

The students will also take a tour of Manley Field House and the Carrier Dome and interact with members of the track and field team.

‘The issue of literacy and reading levels in the Syracuse City School District is extremely important,’ said Roberta Gillen, assistant director for Literacy Initiatives at the Mary Ann Shaw Center for Public and Community Service. ‘Programs like ‘Getting on Track’ help excite kids about books and learning. It encourages them to read and have fun in the process.’

SynerCuse provides sport management majors valuable experience, in addition to the benefits it gives the elementary school students. The group works with other campus sports to raise attendance at home games or meets, gain sponsorship and create a general interest in the sport.

Due to the relatively small amount of home meets for the track team, ‘Getting on Track’ was created as an alternative way to get the team and the city to connect.

Dan Lehane, a co-general manager SynerCuse, said he was having a difficult time coming up with ideas as to how to market an individual sport that does not have too many home games.

‘I thought a community service event would be the best way to get people excited about the team and also help benefit the community,’ Lehane, a junior in the SU College of Human Ecology, said.

Gordie Taylor, currently a mid-distance runner for the SU track and field team, is one of the athletes who decided to get involved with the program and dedicate his time to the event.

‘It does get busy with such demanding academic and athletic schedules, but if people didn’t take the time out of their lives to help influence my life, I wouldn’t be the person that I am today,’ Taylor, a sophomore in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, said. ‘I think it’s important to be there for the kids and set a good example for them to follow. I’m just following the example of the people I looked up to as a kid.’

hscrowle@syr.edu

Published on March 25, 2008 at 12:00 pm