By Craig Morgan, thesundevils.com Writer
TEMPE, Ariz. -- Innovation, inclusiveness and teamwork are hallmarks of Sun Devil Athletics and Arizona State University. Those ideals were at the core of a visit and message from former NFL player Dave Vobora and Marine veteran Brian Aft to Sun Devil Athletics administrators, staff and student-athletes from Sep. 7-9 at various campus locations.
Aft lost both of his legs to an IED on April 18, 2011, while serving in combat in Afghanistan. With the help of Vobora and the Adaptive Training Foundation, Aft overcame severe depression and a heroin addiction. The Adaptive Training Foundation's mission, per its website, is to empower the human athlete, restore hope through movement, and redefine the limits of individuals with disabilities.
http://www.adaptivetrainingfoundation.org/
In addition to meeting with senior staff, Vobora and Aft spoke to the Sun Devils lacrosse team on Friday and the men's basketball team on Saturday at the Weatherup Center. The visit was organized by Senior Associate Athletic Director Natesh Rao, who served 20 years as an officer and aviator in the Navy.
"Small unit leadership is probably the biggest message I have for them," Aft said Saturday. "That's one of the most important things they push on us in the Marines and I think it applies to everything, but definitely sports.
"It's not supposed to take a staff sergeant to run and jump down a PFC's (Private First Class) throat. It needs to be another PFC, Lance corporals and below. If somebody is not doing what they are supposed to be doing on or off the court, they need to address it, be looking out for each other, hold each other accountable. If that's happening, they're going to bond more, they're going to know each other better and they're going to play better.
"I was always scared on patrol, but I knew that my guys -- the squad I was with, no matter what, if something happened, they were going to react to it. When I got hit, it was confusing but it wasn't this messed up gaggle. Even though it was a bad situation, everything was going exactly how we trained for it to go."
Rao called the visit the genesis of a partnership with the Adaptive Training Foundation. The university is exploring opportunities for student-athletes to work internships with adaptive athletes, as well as the opportunity for adaptive athletes who have undergone Vobora's training course to work at ASU.
As far as the immediate message, Rao hoped the student-athletes would gain a greater appreciation for the importance of teamwork over individual concerns or differences.
"The military is the quintessential team," Rao said. "It's people from all walks of life, all different aspects of life working together toward something bigger than themselves. The military is so diverse but it doesn't matter what you look like or where you come from. Everybody is important to the team. Everybody must give effort to make it happen."
Vobora said Aft's willingness to share his personal story was critical to getting that message across to the student-athletes.
"I've been in those chairs, different room, different team," said Vobora, who played for the Rams and Seahawks before a shoulder injury ended his career. "A lot of clichéd things are pushed at you as a player, but I think the connection is in the deeper scars we've endured and in the telling of a story that conveys that.
"If what they are hearing is connectable, even though their circumstances are different, they can see themselves in that story."
Sun Devils basketball player Zylan Cheatham said the message came across loud and clear
"It put life in a different perspective for me," he said. "To see somebody who went through so much be so positive and so encouraging -- to talk about his struggles openly and laugh about it and find joy in something made me look back at my life and look at the things I'm fortunate to have and some of the things I complain about that are things I shouldn't even be worried about.
"He talked about how he would go back and do it all again, the struggles, the joy and the process because of the bonds that he built. At our level, if you don't have the team unity you lose a game. At his level, if you don't have team unity you might lose your life. That level of commitment makes me want to bond with my guys, push each other and hold each other accountable to do great things."
TEMPE, Ariz. -- Innovation, inclusiveness and teamwork are hallmarks of Sun Devil Athletics and Arizona State University. Those ideals were at the core of a visit and message from former NFL player Dave Vobora and Marine veteran Brian Aft to Sun Devil Athletics administrators, staff and student-athletes from Sep. 7-9 at various campus locations.
Aft lost both of his legs to an IED on April 18, 2011, while serving in combat in Afghanistan. With the help of Vobora and the Adaptive Training Foundation, Aft overcame severe depression and a heroin addiction. The Adaptive Training Foundation's mission, per its website, is to empower the human athlete, restore hope through movement, and redefine the limits of individuals with disabilities.
http://www.adaptivetrainingfoundation.org/
In addition to meeting with senior staff, Vobora and Aft spoke to the Sun Devils lacrosse team on Friday and the men's basketball team on Saturday at the Weatherup Center. The visit was organized by Senior Associate Athletic Director Natesh Rao, who served 20 years as an officer and aviator in the Navy.
"Small unit leadership is probably the biggest message I have for them," Aft said Saturday. "That's one of the most important things they push on us in the Marines and I think it applies to everything, but definitely sports.
"It's not supposed to take a staff sergeant to run and jump down a PFC's (Private First Class) throat. It needs to be another PFC, Lance corporals and below. If somebody is not doing what they are supposed to be doing on or off the court, they need to address it, be looking out for each other, hold each other accountable. If that's happening, they're going to bond more, they're going to know each other better and they're going to play better.
"I was always scared on patrol, but I knew that my guys -- the squad I was with, no matter what, if something happened, they were going to react to it. When I got hit, it was confusing but it wasn't this messed up gaggle. Even though it was a bad situation, everything was going exactly how we trained for it to go."
Rao called the visit the genesis of a partnership with the Adaptive Training Foundation. The university is exploring opportunities for student-athletes to work internships with adaptive athletes, as well as the opportunity for adaptive athletes who have undergone Vobora's training course to work at ASU.
As far as the immediate message, Rao hoped the student-athletes would gain a greater appreciation for the importance of teamwork over individual concerns or differences.
"The military is the quintessential team," Rao said. "It's people from all walks of life, all different aspects of life working together toward something bigger than themselves. The military is so diverse but it doesn't matter what you look like or where you come from. Everybody is important to the team. Everybody must give effort to make it happen."
Vobora said Aft's willingness to share his personal story was critical to getting that message across to the student-athletes.
"I've been in those chairs, different room, different team," said Vobora, who played for the Rams and Seahawks before a shoulder injury ended his career. "A lot of clichéd things are pushed at you as a player, but I think the connection is in the deeper scars we've endured and in the telling of a story that conveys that.
"If what they are hearing is connectable, even though their circumstances are different, they can see themselves in that story."
Sun Devils basketball player Zylan Cheatham said the message came across loud and clear
"It put life in a different perspective for me," he said. "To see somebody who went through so much be so positive and so encouraging -- to talk about his struggles openly and laugh about it and find joy in something made me look back at my life and look at the things I'm fortunate to have and some of the things I complain about that are things I shouldn't even be worried about.
"He talked about how he would go back and do it all again, the struggles, the joy and the process because of the bonds that he built. At our level, if you don't have the team unity you lose a game. At his level, if you don't have team unity you might lose your life. That level of commitment makes me want to bond with my guys, push each other and hold each other accountable to do great things."