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The 2020-21 athletic year will open in the fall with Tyler Nelson, Tori Thorpe, and Zoe Hardwick at the helm of Northern's Student Athlete Advisory Committee. The trio will continue the tradition of NSU SAAC, while looking to leave their mark on the department and the Aberdeen community.
 
SAAC's mission is to support and enhance the experiences of the student-athletes by providing opportunities to contribute within the community, protecting student-athlete welfare and promoting a positive student-athlete image. In addition, SAAC is able to represent and articulate the broad and diverse interests, opinions and concerns of student-athletes to athletic department administrators.
 
Nelson, Thorpe, and Hardwick may have each taken their own paths to Northern State and the Student Athlete Advisory Committee, but they have all seen the benefits of membership. As they take on the 2020-21 officer roles, the three Wolves are geared up to increase membership amongst all NSU teams and grow the current offerings for those members and the community.
 
How did you initially get involved in SAAC?
Nelson: I initially got involved in SAAC as a freshman because I thought it would be great to get involved in a club on campus and SAAC fit perfectly with being related to athletics and helping others through volunteering, and I was recruited by some older football players.
 
Thorpe: I initially got involved in SAAC my freshman year when I was looking to be more involved on campus. I saw a few of the posters for the meetings in the Barnett Center so I went back to the dorms, gathered my roommates and we attended our first meeting. Ever since that first meeting, I've tried to involve myself in any way I could help. 
 
Hardwick: My teammate Brianna Kusler was the president at the time I first heard about SAAC. She spoke very highly about it. Many of my teammates suggested that I become a part of it since it does a good job of representing the student athletes of Northern State and is involved with volunteering in our community.
 
What does SAAC mean to you? Why is it important?
Nelson: SAAC is important to me because it is important to give back to the school and community, We as SAAC members try to do as much as we can throughout the year to give back. A lot of what we do means a lot to the people it impacts. For example, the Dare to Share Food Drive impact so many families in the Aberdeen community.
 
Thorpe: To me, SAAC means getting out and connecting athletes to the community, and allowing individuals a look at the athlete experience! I think SAAC is important because not only does it connect athletes to those who look up to them and support them, but it also allows us, as a student body, to add input to rules and regulations that affect us. 
 
Hardwick: SAAC is a place where student athletes can have a voice on and off the field. When student athletes, like me, are a part of SAAC, you are able to represent your team and your university. Being a part of SAAC also means that you have the opportunity to be the voice of your team. When you are a representative or officer, it creates a relationship between and your athletic administrators. Being a part of SAAC is very important because it is a way to give back to our community. Northern does such a great job supporting its student athletes! I find it being a part of SAAC is way to give back to them. One major way NSU's SAAC has done that is through volunteering throughout the community.
 
What SAAC activities to you enjoy the most throughout the year?
Nelson: The SAAC activities that I enjoy the most throughout the year are: 1) The SAAC Welcome Back, this was the first year we did it and I think everybody really enjoyed it because they got to meet people from the other teams and just hang out and play some games and have a good time. 2) Dare to Share Food Drive; I look forward to this because it is football's spring event. This year we all really stepped up and donated A TON of food. Way more than we ever have had before. 3) Wildin'' Wolves, I like this event because it is fun to hang out and play games with all the kids that come. We get to play kickball and all kinds of games and our own little kid inside all of us comes out. It is an all-around good time.
 
Thorpe: One of my favorite SAAC activities is doing the change challenge that goes towards Operation Christmas! I think Operation Christmas is just an amazing opportunity to send necessities and toys to a child who may never receive a Christmas present ever. Just imagining that child opening that present makes you feel so good. I also really enjoy when the soccer team gets to volunteer at Lincoln elementary for their many fundraisers and carnivals. The staff at Lincoln is always so welcoming and fun to be around. 
 
Hardwick: One of my favorite SAAC activities would have to be Wildin' Wolves because we get to see some of the best fans in the nation! Wildin' Wolves is for kids and they get to hang out with their favorite NSU athletes. There is also a raffle that anyone can buy a ticket for and about every team has something that the kids could potentially win. Last year we had a movie going on throughout the night, face painting, kickball and many other things that the kids were able be involved with. It was so much fun being able to help out with this event! The other activity that I really enjoyed this year was the welcome back event that SAAC hosted. All student-athletes attended this and were split into teams with a variation of different athletes. Each head coach and the assistants were assigned a team, and every team was competing against one another in fun games. This event was a great way for all the new athletes to meet new people their first week on campus!
 
As a newly appointed officer, what are you looking forward to the most in 2020-21?
Nelson: In the upcoming 2020-2021 school year, I am looking forward to growing SAAC and adding as many members as we can get. We have grown a good amount this year but I think we can grow even more this next year getting members from every sports team on campus represented at every SAAC meeting. . Along with all the new members, we can grow all of our events even more. I also look forward to hearing what the rest of the SAAC members have to say and see if they have any ideas; we are open to hearing what anybody has to say.
 
Thorpe: Next year, I am looking forward to continuing everything we are doing now and looking for opportunities we can improve upon them! I am also looking forward to putting new ideas into how we can impact the community that supports us. 
 
Hardwick: I am so grateful to be able to be in this position! One thing that I am really looking forward too is having new faces coming in this fall and try to get more members to join SAAC! We are also looking for more ways to be more interactive with everyone on campus (staff and students). I am also really excited to be working with Tyler and Tori! Having three officers for SAAC will make a huge difference because we will all be able to contribute new ideas! One last thing I am looking forward too is to add more events that SAAC does throughout the school year and summer!
 
Are there any other activities or clubs that you are involved in on campus?
Hardwick: I am currently the secretary of Fit Club! This club is run by Dr. Chelsea Shortt and the mission of the club is to provide human performance, physical education, and sport management for undergrads with careers building opportunities at NSU. This is my first year being a part of this club and it has been a blast working with Dr. Shortt and the rest of the members!
 
Have you learned any valuable lessons as a member of SAAC that translate to your sport participation or in daily life?
Nelson: While I have been in SAAC, I have come to understand just how fortunate we are and some stuff that we take for granted. While doing some of our events we get to see how the stuff we do helps others. It is a great feeling knowing that you are helping others. I think about it in my daily life, about the things I have and try not to take them for granted or the opportunities I have as a college athlete. 
 
Thorpe: I have learned many valuable lessons since joining SAAC. I have learned the value of giving back and qualities to becoming a better leader. I also have learned the importance of communication and its effects. 
 
Hardwick: Volunteering has always been something that is very important to my family and me. Being in SAAC has put more of an emphasis on it especially when it comes to giving back to the community of Aberdeen. The community here is something super special! In SAAC, we try our best to find many ways give back throughout the school year as much as possible!
 
What are your career aspirations after graduation? Are there any skills you have learned as a member of SAAC that will help you in achieving those?
Nelson: I am not absolutely sure on my career aspirations yet. I am majoring in Business Management with an emphasis on Leadership and a minor in Banking and Finance. I have a number of different fields within these that I have an interest in but I am not set on anything specific yet. At any job I end up in, I would like to take that the things I have learned in SAAC into that job with me, whether it is continuing the volunteering and community support to anything that I can do to help others.
 
Thorpe: After graduating from Northern, I am looking to go onto graduate school for Physical Therapy for three years in hopes to become a Physical Therapist. I want to be a physical therapist to help individuals overcome injuries and regain any strength needed to complete daily functions or to help athletes get back on the court/field. I have gained people skills throughout being involved in SAAC, as you get to work with a variety of individuals. This ability to work with many different individuals will help further me in my career, as I will receive the opportunity to help many. 
 
Hardwick: My major is sports administration and marketing with a minor in coaching. My plans for after are to coach at the high school level or higher. I also have thought much about wanting to be an athletic director. One very important skill that I have learned as a member of SAAC is teamwork and communication. Every member of SAAC can make a contribution for what we do for our campus, and hearing everyone's opinions are really important so we can do everything at our best. We also must work with administration and communicate with them about certain events and timing with athletic activities. This comes in hand with coaching because in a lot of cases you are working with those on your coaching staff and then also with your administration. In order for things to go somewhat planned communication is very important. My coaches at NSU hold communication as one of our number one standards and it has been very successful!