U of U players speak at Blessed Sacrament

Courtesy photo/Blessed Sacrament School

+ Enlarge

SANDY — Blessed Sacrament Catholic School welcomed four members of the University of Utah baseball team on March 15 as part of the 3rd quarter Spirit Assembly with the theme "Academics 1st, Sports 2nd."

SANDY — Blessed Sacrament Catholic School welcomed four members of the University of Utah baseball team on March 15 as part of the 3rd quarter Spirit Assembly with the theme "Academics 1st, Sports 2nd."

Bill Kinneberg, University of Utah head baseball coach, spoke briefly to the students about the importance of staying away from bad situations. Coach Kinneberg outlined a two-step plan on how students can stay away from trouble: One, hang out with good people and two, hang out in good places; two very simple but important rules for students to remember.

The four U of U players in attendance were Stephen Streich, a senior from Phoenix, Ariz.; Shaun Cooper, from Tucson, Ariz.; JoJo Sharrar, a junior from Thousand Oaks, Calif.; and Tyler Relf, from Sandy, Utah and a graduate of Alta High School.

The players spoke on several topics of importance including working hard at school. Cooper stressed the importance of hard work whether in athletics or in the classroom.

"What you put into practice is what you are going to get out of it," Cooper said. "School is not always easy. It takes a lot of hard work. For those students who work hard, good things will come out of it."

Students were very interested in hearing what each player was studying and what their future goals were.

Sharrar is a human physiology major with plans to become a pediatrician. His advice to the students was "Trust in yourself, have confidence in yourself, focus, and step back to think about the situation in order to make the best choice."

Other areas covered were why it is important to read, the importance of listening to teachers and doing the homework that is assigned.

Relf reiterated the importance of picking out good friends from elementary school all the way through college. "Good friends keep you out of trouble because you are more likely to listen to what your friends have to say," he said. "It is important to stay on track and stay in school. Time management is also important. You need to do your homework first. Procrastination does not work well. You need to study every day."

A brief question-and-answer period followed the players’ presentations.

Courtesy of Blessed Sacrament School