FERRIS WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TO TEAM UP WITH ATHLETES IN ACTION

Bulldog Women’s Basketball Team To Host Clinic & Exhibition Game At Wink Arena

The youth clinic, which is open to both male and female participants from fourth to eighth grade, will be held Saturday (Oct. 23) from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. (EDT) following a 9:30 a.m. (EDT) registration period. The Bulldog women’s basketball team will then open their 2004-05 campaign against Athletes In Action’s national touring team Sunday (Oct. 24) in exhibition action with tipoff set for 2 p.m. (EDT). The cost of the clinic is $15 for a single child or $25 per family. Donations will be accepted at the door of the exhibition contest in an effort to help fund both programs. The youth clinic will include skills and drills in addition to interaction with both Ferris State and AIA players. Those attending the clinic will not only learn basketball skills, but also Biblical principles to help enhance their game.

“This is a tremendous opportunity for the community to be exposed to a team which professes and puts into practice high ethical standards,” said seventh-year FSU head coach Tracey Fisk. “We’re excited to partner with AIA as they teach strong Christian values and use sport to demonstrate great character along with outstanding sportsmanship.

“They normally don’t have time to put on clinics along with games so it will be a privilege both for us and the kids in our area to learn from them.”

Athletes In Action, which is the sports ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ, fields national and international teams in a variety of sports such as baseball, basketball, soccer and wrestling. Athletes and coaches are not only trained for ministry, but also have opportunities to compete in their respective sport. AIA sports teams combine a passion for God and athletic excellence into a unique effort while competing on both a local and world wide basis. The organization was formed in 1966 when Dave Hannah, a past collegiate athlete, shared his desire to introduce spiritually hungry athletes to Christ with Dr. Bill Bright, who had begun the Campus Crusade ministry at UCLA in 1951.

Besides Ferris State, AIA’s traveling team is also slated to face 14 other collegiate institutions this fall campaign. Included among the squad’s other contests are matchups at Central Michigan (Nov. 3) and Michigan (Nov. 4). This season marks the organization’s 15th year of providing exhibition games for some of the top collegiate women’s programs in the United States. The Athletes In Action team, which is coached by previous (1991-2001) Marquette University assistant coach Tracey Tarkington, is made up of former collegiate and professional players. In 2003, the AIA women’s squad finished with a 7-5 record, including wins over NCAA Division I schools Arizona and Indiana.

“Athletes In Action will be one of the best teams we’ll face on the court this year,” Fisk said. “They play with a different purpose using the skills they’ve been blessed with and they’ll be excellent role models both for our players and area youth.”

Fisk, who was active in both Campus Crusade and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes during her collegiate playing career at NCAA Division I Illinois State and then Northern Michigan, previously traveled with Athletes In Action to the Czech Republic in June of 2001. As a co-head coach along with Tim Eatman of the University of Louisville, Fisk helped guide a squad of 12 athletes on a two-week expedition where they directed youth camps, competed against international teams and led native people to Christ through testimony.

The Bulldogs, who concluded the 2003-04 campaign with a 21-10 overall record, compiled a second-place 14-4 GLIAC North Division mark and reached the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Regional Tournament for the second time in school history a year ago. The 2003-04 campaign, which was the program’s 30th anniversary season, marks the eighth consecutive year the Bulldogs have won 10 or more games and their second 20-win campaign in the last five seasons.

FSU, which returns three starters and eight letterwinners from last campaign, will also visit Central Michigan Thursday, Nov. 11, for a 7 p.m. (EST) exhibition game in CMU’s Rose Arena at Mount Pleasant, Mich. The Bulldogs will then officially tip off the 2004-05 season Tuesday, Nov. 16, in a 6 p.m. (EST) non-conference tilt versus Lewis (Ill.) at Wink Arena.

For more information on the clinic or exhibition game, please contact Tracey Fisk at (231) 591-2878 or Athletes In Action’s A.J. Whitehead at (937) 352-1226.

Click Here For Youth Clinic Brochure PDF