Personal Enhancement
The Gators Experience houses the personal enhancement, social engagement, career development, and leadership programming for all Gator student-athletes. Through class specific meetings, experiential learning opportunities, and individual goal mapping the program aims to help every Gator student-athlete leave the University of Florida as a prepared professional. You can follow the Gator Experience on Twitter at @GatorsExp.
Personal Enhancement
The University Athletic Association (UAA) invites top speakers from around the country to speak to student-athletes about personal and social issues. Professionals with expertise on specific topics facilitate seminars and workshops offered by the UAA. The seminars allow student-athletes to join and discuss issues relative to their personal and professional development. Workshops include, but are not limited to the following:
- Goal Setting
- Diversity
- Media Relations
- Values Clarification
- Agents & Pro Sports
- Community Relations
- Fiscal Responsibility
- Times & Stress Management
- Sexual Responsibility
- Manners & Etiquette
Swamp Talks
Developed out of feedback from student-athletes, Swamp Talks allow student-athlete the opportunity to participate in a workshop deemed most important for their class and network with others. The freshmen meet once in fall and again in the spring while all other classes meet once in the fall and then individually in the fall. Graduating seniors have additional meetings during their semester of graduation.
Community Service
Gator Tracks
Gator Tracks was started in 2001 and has now become one of the University Athletic Associations biggest events during the Fall Semester. Gator Tracks provides shoes for students in seven schools in Alachua County on free or reduced lunch . Starting in November, student-athletes, staff, coaches and administration from the UAA begin to college school age shoes, socks and monetary donations. After all of the shoes are collected, the Hawkins Center host an annual wrapping party in order to wrap and organize up to as many as 500 pairs of shoes preparing them for the deliveries made by staff and student-athletes into the schools. Each student is greeted by Gator Student-Athletes who present them with their individually sized shoe to be unwrapped and tried on.
Brandon Lang Memorial Sports Camp - Climb for Cancer
Since 2005 Gator Student-Athletes have volunteered their Saturday at the Climb for Cancer sports camp event. Climb for Cancer is a non-profit organization that sponsors children whom have fought or are fighting cancer and gives them the opportunity to participate in a sports clinic. Participants and their families were able to meet student-athletes and use the University Athletic Association's facilities through the partnership formed with the Otis Hawkins Center for Academic and Personal Excellence and UAA Departments. Each year over 200 Student-Athletes join the camp participants in basketball, soccer, football, volleyball and dance drills.
Goodwill Gator Volunteerism
Through the Goodwill Gator Volunteerism program Student - Athletes are given the opportunity to give back to their community and strengthen their commitment to the greater good. Student- Athletes are able to enhance their personal development as well as gain civic virtues and how one should behave as part of a community. On average Gator Student-Athletes complete about 4,000 hours in the community per academic school year.
Leadership
Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC)
The Student-Athlete Advisory Committee is composed of at least two Student-Athletes from each of the University of Florida's 21 varsity sports. SAAC members serve as some of the ears and eyes of the University Athletic Association in Student-Athlete affairs. They are the liaison between their teammates and the athletic staff.
Black Student-Athlete Council (BSAC)
Founding Student-Athletes: Alex Magee, Trinity Thomas, Nya Reed, Clifford Taylor, Randy Russell, Denzel Villaman, Cole Johnson, Jaimie Hoover, Isaac Davis, Will Davis, and Kiki Smith.
Advisors: Valerie Flournoy, Jasmin Wooten, and Marina Coleman
The Black Student-Athlete Council was created in June 2020 out of feedback from a Black student-athlete meeting with Valerie Flournoy following the death of George Floyd. The council was created to provide space for Black student-athletes to build community and support during the heart of social injustice protests. The group has evolved to not only provide a sense of community for Black student-athletes but also to provide recommendations, workshops, and resources that benefit all student-athletes, coaches, staff, and the community. The group serves as a liaison to administration and a partner to the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
The council has used its influence to encourage all Gators to stand up against racism and inequity. You can see their impact through their student-athlete statement, the More Than Entertainment unity t-shirts, the Black Student-Athlete Council Intro video, community service, and Black Lives Matter March.
The Black Student-Athlete Council video proudly introduces the council and challenges all Gators to stand up against injustices, and ends with the declaration that Black Lives Matter. The video has been played at every home sporting event during the 2020-2021 season. It was also played at each Southeastern Conference Championship and the Cotton Bowl. The influence of the Black Student-Athlete Council can also be seen in the University of Florida Athletic Association’s public support of student-athletes kneeling during the national anthem before competitions.
The Black Student-Athlete Council partnered with the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and the PRIDE Affinity group to produce messaging around supporting the LGBTQ+ community and members.
Affinity Groups
As a part of the collaboration between the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and the Black Student-Athlete Council the need for other affinity groups and communities have been supported.
The LBGTQ+ Affinity group was created in 2020 to allow student-athletes another open and honest space to connect with each other and look at the programming aimed at supporting the student-athletes as whole people. The group’s impact can be seen throughout student-athlete focused programming, messaging and support at athletic events, education on allyship, and student-athletes feeling whole.
Florida Letterman Awards
The Florida Letterman Awards is the annual ESPY-like celebration of team and individual achievement on and off the field. Every spring student-athletes nominates their peers for awards in order to celebrate the best of the best. SAAC through the guidance of the Gators Experience program pick a theme, create videos, and run the awards show. Every year student-athlete enjoy the chance to dress up and celebrate each other.
Gators Leadership Experience
The Gators Leadership Experience group is composed of sophomore through senior student-athletes who have been identified by their coaches as leaders. Coaches and guest speakers cover topics identified as most crucial to developing as leaders. The group is the brain-child of Athletic Director Scott Stricklin and housed in the Hawkins Center. The group meets three times a semester in order to share athletic leadership ideas across sports.
The Freshmen Leadership experience focuses on self-leadership and self-awareness through four workshops during their first semester of college. The workshops allow student-athletes to start think about who they are and what they need to do as freshmen to be successful on and off the field. The Freshmen Leadership Experience allows new freshmen to enhance their self-awareness, self-leadership, and matriculation in order help them develop into peer leaders.
Follow the Student-Athletes in their journey of Community Service and Leadership on their Twitter account located below, The Gator Experience.
