The Drive to Succeed
by Joel Carlson, UM Sports Information |
You go to a Montana football game at Washington-Grizzly Stadium and see Craig Ochs pacing the sideline before the game. You feel a rush of avuncular familiarity wash over you, and you get both nervous and excited for him. You know so much about him he may as well be your nephew.
You know about his time at Colorado. You know about the concussions and the events leading up to his transfer to Montana. You know about his religious verve. You know he was married on Jan. 2, 2004, and that his wife is a schoolteacher. You can rattle off his passer efficiency rating to the nearest decimal point without even looking in the game program, and if you saw him on the street you would probably have to keep yourself from giving him a hug, so proud you are of him and his accomplishments, all of which are done with a humble maturity.
You go to a Lady Griz basketball game at Dahlberg Arena and watch Hollie Tyler warming up. No one needs to tell you that she’s the two-time Big Sky Conference defensive player of the year, that her career numbers in many categories trail only Shannon Cate in the hierarchy of Montana women’s basketball and that she comes from a town of fewer than 100 inhabitants in Idaho.
You’ve purchased the Lady Griz media guide and committed it to memory. You know Tyler can do the splits, that she’s an excellent singer and that she always keeps grapefruit juice in her refrigerator. When warmups are done and she returns to the bench for introductions, you cheer for her by her first name, so familiar are you with her that she could have spent her entire life growing up next door.
You go to a Montana track and field meet at Dornblaser Field. You see this student-athlete, long and lean, with fire in her eyes, but void of any of the look-at-me showmanship employed by some of the visiting athletes. She’s all over the place within the course of just a few short hours.
You see her at the long jump pit, then throwing the shot, then running the 800 meters, then performing the high jump, and doing it all with a determined focus you thought you’d only see on the football field. She moves from event from event, excelling at everything with a quiet intensity that forces you to keep watching. You think to yourself, Who is this woman and why can’t I keep my eyes off of her?
You probably wouldn’t know Montana senior Shannon Selby if she passed you in the mall. And that’s your loss because you’re missing out on another Montana student-athlete that you would be proud to know.
What’s not to like of this multi-event standout who will be trying to win Montana’s second straight title in the heptathlon at the Big Sky Conference championships May 11-14 at Flagstaff, Ariz.?
How can you not fall in love when you use the term student-athlete to describe Selby, then find yourself searching in vain for something more appropriate since student-athlete only gives the student half billing?
The Washington native carries a 3.96 GPA in elementary education, started her college career with 62 credits already on her transcript, had enough credits after just two years in Missoula that she could have graduated and has been named to five Big Sky Conference All-Academic teams.
But at the same time you don’t want to short-change the athlete, who is one of the most talented multi-event track athletes – and by definition thus one of the most talented athletes in general – in the Big Sky Conference.
What a wonderful problem to have.
The NCAA has spent millions of dollars in each of the last two NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments trying to sell you on one thing: that the face you place on the typical NCAA student-athlete should be Shannon Selby’s.
It’s time you learn the person behind that face.
Before she entered her junior year of high school, Selby opted to take advantage of a program called Running Start. It required her to leave her classmates at Castle Rock (Wash.) High School and enroll in college-level classes at Lower Columbia College, located 10 miles south of Castle Rock in the southwestern Washington city of Longview.
The only requirement to maintain her spot in the program: a minimum grade point average. The daughter of two teachers attacked the challenge like all hurdles placed before her. She earned 62 college credits over two years and finished with an associate of arts degree and a perfect 4.0 grade point average.
And she was still able to continue with her track and field career at CRHS, where she finished with more decorations, medals and honors than a high-ranking military officer. She won 13 medals at Washington state high school meets and finished her career with six school records. Selby capped it all off with an eighth-place showing in the heptathlon at the 2001 Junior Olympic national meet the summer prior to enrolling at Montana.
A self-made student and a self-made athlete, Selby and her parents took the same approach when it came time to look into colleges. Selby’s father, Steve, helped her contact regional schools, which included the University of Montana. Unbeknownst to Selby, a familiar athlete from La Center, Wash., Renee Dunn, was already on the UM track and field team.
“I knew of Renee from her high school days, but at first I wasn’t aware she was (at Montana),” Selby said. “When I found out, I had that sense of someone from Washington that I could kind of connect with. I didn’t know her very well, but I always kind of idolized her in high school.
“Then when I came on my recruiting trip, she was my host.”
Between the Dunn factor and assistant track and field coach Brian Schweyen’s recruiting efforts, Selby was sold.
“Coach Schweyen was the most adamant about calling me back and always talking to me,” Selby said. “He was very easy to communicate with.”
Because she had already basically spent two years in college, Selby’s academic transition from high school to college was a smooth one. But the usual problems of a college freshman did hit a handful of times.
“Starting out at Lower Columbia for two years, the class sizes were all very small, so I think it prepared me incredibly to come in here. Basically I just kept on going. It wasn’t like I even had to transition.
“Of course I was living at home while I was going to classes at Lower Columbia, so there was a little homesickness to begin with.”
Making the jump from a Class 2A school in Washington to NCAA Division I athletics, however, especially as a multi-event track and field athlete, was not as easy.
“In high school I didn’t train for the multi-events,” Selby said. “I was basically just a long jumper and triple jumper and then I did the sprints when I had to.
“When I came to Montana I had to learn how to hurdle, I had to learn how to high jump, I had to learn how to throw the javelin, throw the shot, how I should run the 800. It was overwhelming. It required a huge development of new skills and new techniques, and there was definitely a lot more time spent lifting.
“It was a huge step from the training aspect, but it was an even bigger step competition-wise. It was a shock coming from winning all your events in high school to being at the bottom, and it took me a long time to get past that.”
Faced with such a challenge and rude awakening, some athletes would have thrown in the towel on their athletic career and retreated to the comfort of talking about the glory days.
Not Selby.
“The competition within the team gave me reason to try harder,” she said. “It made me want to reach their level. By seeing the time they put in, I realized how much training I needed to do to achieve that same level.”
And she didn’t just want to achieve similar levels. Selby wanted to surpass those levels, and she knew that was possible at Montana.
“Renee was the record holder in the long and triple jump and it was my goal to one day get her records,” Selby said. “One reason I came here was that you could see how Renee had improved through the years and that our program had allowed her to do that.”
After a freshman year of adjustments, Selby started seeing improvements.
“My sophomore year all the various techniques started to get easier, and I started to get more comfortable with it.
“Finally the confidence came in my junior year.”
It was during the 2004 Big Sky Conference Indoor Championships that Selby burst onto the scene. She finished second in the long jump (18-8.5) and third in pentathlon (3,542), earning 14 points for the Grizzlies.
But before our protagonist was able to tie a neat bow on a career that appeared headed only toward greater heights, another hurdle was placed in her path. Selby developed a stress fracture in her foot and had to sit out the 2004 outdoor season.
With the prospect of student-teaching fulltime in the fall of 2004 and the potential to graduate that December after three-and-a-half years of college, Selby faced a dilemma. After some down time to heal the injury, did she want to put in the time and effort to return for another year of competition, or did she want to just move on with life, take her degree and start her teaching career?
If you knew Selby, you would have known there was just one option and it is all based on her view of potential. And for that she can thank her parents.
“My parents always wanted me to reach what I thought was my potential,” Selby said. “I didn’t always have to take first place or get straight As, but if that was my potential then they thought that was what I should reach.
“So basically I’ve always set those standards for myself. I’m not happy with myself until I’ve reached my potential.
“Another thing that comes into play is perfectionism. I am a huge perfectionist. If things aren’t the way I feel they should be, I’ll take the extra effort and time to get to that point. I think my whole life will be based on that drive to excel, not being happy with second-rate work.”
Just scratching the surface of her athletic prowess in the spring of 2004, Selby knew she had to come back for more. There was still untapped potential to be reached.
“During the summer I got back to lifting and running and by the time we came back together as a team in the fall (of 2004), I was ready to go.”
Her return to training would have to be balanced with the fulltime position of student-teaching. But she took the necessary steps to make sure she could still do both, taking a spot at Chief Charlo Elementary in Missoula.
“I made sure I had a student-teaching assignment close by so I could still work out with the team. I would rush right over to practice after student teaching. I never missed any of the training, but I was always strapped for time.”
In order to meet NCAA standards, Selby delayed her December graduation and added a literacy endorsement so she could continue with school and compete this spring. She redshirted the indoor season and will start graduate school in the fall so she can compete again next year as well.
The second weekend of May, Selby will be competing in the heptathlon at the Big Sky Conference championships. She qualified by scoring 4,194 points at the Mt. SAC Relays in Azusa, Calif., in mid-April. She still hopes to qualify in the long and triple jumps, her strongest events.
“My approach in the heptathlon will be to just do the best that I can in each individual event, and with the confidence that I have, my goal would be to score between 4,700 and 5,000 points.”
That total would put her in a position to challenge for the conference title.
You’ve now seen Shannon Selby, the athlete. You looked deeper and saw Shannon Selby, the student and future teacher. Then you investigate further and find out there is still more to Selby than you could have ever realized.
She is one of the most ambitious volunteers within the hundreds of Montana Grizzly student-athletes.
“I think volunteering is very important. I just wish we would do more.
“I think it helps athletics as a whole, because it builds a positive impression in the community and helps eliminate the stereotypes of the athlete as a dumb jock or that they’re just taking the (scholarship) money and not being involved with the rest of the school or community.
“When people get to know you as a person and what you’re about, it helps break down those stereotypes they might have of you.”
Selby will forever remain modest, and laughs when the idea is floated that she is the NCAA’s model student-athlete. But she does take her obligation as role model very seriously.
“I wouldn’t say I’m the ideal student-athlete, but I try to set high standards for the younger athletes around me. I want them to know that we have those expectations and that we need to make sure we are productive students and that we are getting our studies done.
“At the same time you have to put whatever time you need to into athletics. You can’t just go through the motions. The athlete who excels is the one who puts in that extra effort.”
And when May 2006 rolls around, Selby’s time at Montana and her career as a competitive track and field athlete will come to a close. It will have been a career not heavy on the ink in the local paper or video on the local television sports broadcasts, but for those younger student-athletes following in her footsteps, that won’t have mattered.
Selby will move on to a teaching job and begin her coaching career. You can only hope it’s to your town and that she’s leading your children. But for Selby, her life will not be radically different.
“Staying physically active is going to be a huge part of my life. I’ll continue training when I’m done here, just in a different manner and not for competition. I’ll still be lifting weights, I’ll still be exercising all the time and definitely continue the healthy eating that is a part of being an athlete.
“I think by being physically fit and active I can be a role model for my students in the classroom. There is a national epidemic of obesity right now, and teachers can play an important role in improving that.”
You go to a Montana track and field meet at Dornblaser Field. You see this student-athlete, long and lean, with fire in her eyes, and now you know exactly who she is. You see her at the long jump pit, then throwing the shot, then running the 800 meters, then performing the high jump.
It’s Shannon Selby, student-athlete, role model, volunteer, teacher, coach. And you’re so glad you know her.
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| THE BIG FIVE:
Grizzlies Selected Highest in the NFL Draft |
Grizzly Times took a look back to see which Montana football players were selected highest in NFL Draft history.
No. 5 - Scott Curry, OL (1999)
Sixth Round - Green Bay Packers
Scott Curry, from Valier, Mont., was selected in the sixth round by the Green Bay Packers in the 1999 NFL Draft. Curry, who earned four varsity letters for the Grizzlies from 1995-1998, received the Paul Weskamp Award in his senior campaign, an honor which is given to UM's outstanding lineman. Curry and the Grizzlies were 42-11 during his four-year career, including a 1-1 mark in NCAA Division I-AA National Championship games.
No. 4 - Justin Green, FB (2005)
Fifth Round - Baltimore Ravens
Justin Green ran for 1,784 yards and 22 touchdowns over two seasons at UM before the Baltimore Ravens made him a fifth-round selection in the 2005 NFL Draft. In 2004, the two-time all-conference performer became the first offensive player in school history to be voted the recipient of the Golden Helmet Award, which goes to the team's "Hardest Hitter." The San Diego, Calif., native was the Big Sky Conference's Newcomer of the Year in 2003 after registering team-highs in rushing yards (1,146) and touchdowns (14).
No. 3 - Walt Brett, OL (1976)
Fourth Round - Atlanta Falcons
Walt Brett, from Kings Beach, Calif., was a fourth-round pick of the Atlanta Falcons in the 1976 NFL Draft. Brett anchored the Grizzly offensive line from his guard position and earned three varsity letters for the Grizzlies from 1972-74. Brett received the Paul Weskamp Award in 1975 as the team's outstanding lineman.
No. 2 - Steve Okoniewski, OL (1972)
Second Round - Atlanta Falcons
Steve Okoniewski was a second-round pick of the Atlanta Falcons in the 1972 NFL Draft. Okoniewski, from Silverdale, Wash., was a two-time All-American and all-conference selection for the Grizzlies ('70, '71). Montana went 17-6 over Okonieski's two-year career, including an appearance in the 1970 Camilia Bowl which was the NCAA College Division national championship game. Okoniewski's Grizzlies won the Big Sky title in the same season.
No. 1 - Scott Gragg, OL (1995)
Second Round - New York Giants
Scott Gragg was picked in the second round by the NY Giants in the 1995 NFL Draft. The Silverton, Ore., native earned four varsity letters and was a two-time All-American and all-conference selection in his career at UM. The Grizzlies were 34-14 in Gragg's tenure at Montana (1991-1994). In Gragg's junior year, Montana won the Big Sky Conference title for the first time in 11 seasons with a perfect 6-0 league mark.
HONORABLE MENTION
Dylan McFarland, OL (2004: Seventh Round - Buffalo Bills)
McFarland was selected in the seventh round by the Buffalo Bills in the 2004 NFL Draft. The 6-foot-6 offensive tackle was a two-time All-American and All-Big Sky performer while playing for UM from 1999-2003.
Larry Clarkson, OL (1988: Eighth Round - San Francisco 49ers)
Clarkson was a two-time All-American and four-year letterwinner for the Grizzlies from 1984-87. Clarkson, who was the recipient of UM's 1987 Paul Weskamp Award, played in the 1987 Blue-Gray All-Star game.
Mike Rice, P (1987: Eighth Round - New York Jets)
Rice, who was an eighth round selection of the NY Jets in 1987, was a two-time All-American for the Griz from 1985-86. Rice recorded two punts over 70 yards (73, MSU 1986; 74, BSU 1985) in his career at UM.
Guy Bingham, OL (1980: Ninth Round - New York Jets)
Bingham earned four varsity letters for UM from 1976-79 before the NY Jets selected him in the ninth round of the 1980 NFL Draft. Bingham, who is inducted into the Grizzly Sports Hall of Fame in 2003, twice received the Paul Weskamp Award ('78, '79).
Rocky Klever, RB (1982: Ninth Round - New York Jets)
Klever was a ninth-round selection of the NY Jets in the 1982 NFL Draft. Klever is UM's only three-time Terry Dillon Award winner ('78, '79, '81), an honor given to the team's outstanding back or receiver. Klever was a four-year letterwinner for the Grizzlies from 1977-81.
Pat Foster, DL (1988: Ninth Round - Los Angeles Rams)
Foster was picked in the ninth round by the LA Rams in the 1988 NFL Draft. Foster, who was a four-year letterwinner for Montana from 1984-87, received All-American honors and the Steve Carlson Award as the team's MVP in his senior campaign in 1987 (shared with Bill Venard). Foster is UM's only three-time winner of the Larry Miller Award ('85, '86, '87), an honor given to the team's outstanding defensive lineman.
[Back to the Grizzly Times] |
| A letter from Athletic Director Don Read |
Montana A.D. Don Read |
Hi Griz fans:
Let us remember that this 2004/05 year demonstrated a lot of quality coaching and outstanding student/athletes performance. We are proud of what has been accomplished and the manner in which this success was achieved. All of our sports programs excelled beyond expectations allowing us, once again, to voice our feeling, it’s great to be a Griz.
This “over-the-hill” coach and worn down Athletic Director goes one step further and offers you the fact, it’s EASY to be a Griz! There is much to boast about, because your University not only got after the opposition on the field as well as on the hardwood, but our young competitors did their thing in the classroom, too. Yes this year, as so often is the case for us Grizzlies, allowed all of us to share the comment, we did good!
What happened these past nine months is a reverberation of much preparation and commitment. Winning is not automatic, it takes a multitude of folks doing things right over a long period of time, Hopefully, you are not tired of my driving home the point, losing is easy as all that needs to be done is, nothing.
With this principle, winning encompasses organization, leadership and intense effort. The obstacles are always the clock/calendar and availability of needed resources. A close look at this nearly completed school year tells us the above factors were in place. As we plan ahead careful attention to these elements must always be in our focus.
You and all caring individuals that make up our Griz family are the foundation for progress and success. Our coaches are an extension of what we want for our sports programs. They, so to speak, served as motors for their program and we supply the fuel.
I offer encouragement in this, my next to last correspondence, for you to continue to do whatever you can, when you can to keep the Griz on track. We must not lose sight of the progress of Athletics at our great University. Nor should we lower our expectations for the future. Let us close ranks in our push to keep the Griz on top. Apathy and satisfaction are our enemies, so with our energy, creativity and pride, let’s drive forward and distance Griz Athletics from all the opposition.
There are obstacles ahead and to them I say, so what! Together there is no challenge we can’t overcome. Believe, have faith and trust in those that make decision that influence our direction. The mission of Montana Griz nation must be to meet the need faced each year to be the best we can be. The road we travel has to be straight with the goals in sight all the time. This philosophy is the formula for prosperity. It’s the way of the Griz, pure and simple.
Soon you will have a new leader as we are in search, as you know, of an Athletic Director. No doubt, whoever our new person is, will need our support, loyalty, cooperation and continued involvement. He or she will learn to love the Griz – this is a given - our job, let’s help this person be the most outstanding Director of Athletics in the country. You can count on me assisting our new director until he or she gets their feet on the ground.
I have enjoyed everyday of my time spent here in Montana. Once a Griz, always a Griz! This “down the road, has been” will take with him the love and caring you have given me. Thank you for joining hands with me in keeping athletics here at our great University moving forward, during this time of need.
A last letter from me will come to you in mid June as my departure is scheduled for the end of June.
GO GRIZ!
Don Read -
Athletic Director
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| UM Athletic Department and GSA Announcements |
University of Montana summer sports camps taking applications
The University of Montana Athletic Department and its coaches have a full slate of clinics and camps for the 2005 summer months. The Griz football, volleyball, soccer, and men's and women's basketball programs have printable applications and online registration (soccer only) available at the UM sports camps webpage.
GSA to host 25th Annual Conoco Grizzly Golf Tournament
The 25th annual Conoco Grizzly Golf Tournament will take place at the beautiful Phantom Hills Golf Club on Friday, June 17, 2005. Get your teams together early as space will be limited. Proceeds from this event will go toward student athlete scholarships at The University of Montana. If you would like to sign up or have any questions, contact Greg Sundberg with the Grizzly Scholarship Association at 243-4509 or stop by the GSA offices in the Adams Center at The University of Montana.
GSA takes show on the road in May
UM Athletics, in conjunction with the Grizzly Scholarship Association and its state-wide chapters, has a number of functions planned across Montana over the next few weeks. Following is a listing of upcoming events in the various areas. For more information, contact the GSA at 406.253.6487.
Monday, May 2 – Glasgow Golf scramble at the Sunnyside Golf Course, begins at 3 p.m. – For golf only, RSVP to 228.9510. Golf and barbecue - $20 per person; barbecue only (5:30-7 p.m.) - $10. For more information, please contact Willie Zeller at 228.9519 or Josh Rector at 263.2051. Representing UM Athletics will be head football coach Bobby Hauck, assistant football coach Kraig Paulson, assistant men’s basketball coach Andy Hill, Director of Development/Intercollegiate Athletics Jim O’Day and Bryan Newton and Greg Sundberg of the Grizzly Scholarship Association.
Tuesday, May 3 – Sidney Golf scramble at the Sidney Country Club. Golf at 12:30 p.m., dinner and program at 6:30 p.m. at The Triangle Night Club. Cost for golf and dinner is $75 per person (dinner only - $25). For more information, contact Bill Brenner at 433.5464 or Kevin Mayer at 482.2704. Representing UM Athletics will be head football coach Bobby Hauck, assistant football coach Kraig Paulson, assistant men’s basketball coach Andy Hill, Director of Development/Intercollegiate Athletics Jim O’Day and Bryan Newton and Greg Sundberg of the Grizzly Scholarship Association.
Wednesday, May 4 – Miles City Golf scramble at Miles City Country Club starts at 3:30 p.m., social at 6 p.m., dinner at 7 p.m. Golf and dinner is $40 per person; dinner - $20 per person. For more information, contact Carl Rogge at 243.4241. Representing UM Athletics will be head football coach Bobby Hauck, assistant football coach Kraig Paulson, assistant men’s basketball coach Andy Hill, Director of Development/Intercollegiate Athletics Jim O’Day and Bryan Newton and Greg Sundberg of the Grizzly Scholarship Association.
Thursday, May 5 – Billings Griz Outdoor Tailgate Party – 5-8 p.m. in the parking lot outside the Winner’s Circle, 2501 Grand Ave. For more information, contact Mike Persha at 652.5509. Representing UM Athletics will be head football coach Bobby Hauck, head Lady Griz women’s basketball coach Robin Selvig, head women’s soccer coach Neil Sedgwick, head women’s golf coach Joanne Steele, assistant men’s basketball coach Andy Hill, Athletic Director Don Read, Director of Development/Intercollegiate Athletics Jim O’Day and Bryan Newton and Greg Sundberg of the Grizzly Scholarship Association.
Friday, May 6 – Laurel 6th annual Griz-Cat Golf Wars at the Laurel Country Club. Proceeds to benefit the Quarterback Clubs at Montana and Montana State. For more information, contact Mike Glennon at 698.4472, Bill Ruegamer at 651.4489 or Gene Brosovich at 698.2468.
Other upcoming GSA-sponsored events, with details to follow include:
Friday, May 20 – Helena (Tailgate/barbecue at the Barrister Bed & Breakfast, 4:30 p.m.)
Tuesday, May 24 – Cut Bank (Golf/barbecue, 3 p.m.)
Wednesday, May 25 – Great Falls (Barbecue, 5:30 p.m.)
Thursday, May 26 – Lewistown (TBA)
Friday, June 3 – Butte (Griz-Cat Golf Tournament, noon)
Friday, June 10 – Flathead (Griz Golf Scramble/Dinner, Eagle Bend Golf Course, noon)
Friday, June 17 – Missoula (GSA/Conoco Golf Scramble, 10:30 a.m., Phantom Links Golf Course)
Friday, June 24 – Ronan (Mission Mountain GSA Golf Scramble/Barbecue, Mission Mountain Country Club, noon)
Griz Nation wristbands on sale
Buy the Griz Nation wristband and help support Grizzly Athletics.
PURCHASE
GRIZ NATION WRISTBAND AT THE GRIZ SHOP
GSA apparel available
Grizzly Scholarship Association apparel is available at the GSA offices in the Adams Event Center. Stop by to check out the selection and help support the Montana Grizzly Scholarship Association.
GSA sponsoring 'Griz Prowl' fundraiser
The Montana Grizzly Scholarship Association has launched the Grizzly Prowl, an effort that uses art to raise money for athletic scholarships for student-athletes.
The Grizzly Prowl is similar to other fund-raisers/art exhibits that have been started around the country. Chicago used cows in its exhibits, Seattle had pigs and Billings had horses. Missoula, of course, will use grizzlies.
Calendar, post cards and posters are still available, but the thirty-five life-size, fiberglass grizzly bear sculptures have been purchased. Each bear is six feet long, three feet high and 20 inches wide. Once the bears are given the artistic touch, they will find their homes in area businesses that have sponsored them. In 2005, the bears will be available for purchase during an auction. For more information, visit the following web site: http://grizzlyprowl.com or call C.J. Peterson at 406.531.9444. Also, information is available at the Grizzly Scholarship Association at 406.243.6485.
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