Pray

There will be sorrow, loss and grief,
but lean on friends for sweet relief.
So make the most of every day,
and don't forget to pray, pray, pray.

Athletic Directing Duo Keeps College Program Thriving

-Written as final project for Teresa Heinz Housel's COMM 255 class in Fall 2012

-Appeared as a two-part feature in the 2/6/13 and 2/20/13 issues of Hope College's campus newspaper The Anchor 

L-R: Tim Schoonveld, Eva Dean Folkert, Ray Smith
Photo Courtesy of Hope PR

When you think of two-headed monsters, a pair of athletic directors probably doesn’t come to mind. Since joining forces in 2009, Hope College co-athletic directors Eva Dean Folkert and Tim Schoonveld think of themselves as just that. 

Folkert and Schoonveld both have longtime connections to Hope, where they each spent their undergraduate years. Folkert graduated in 1983 and Schoonveld in 1996. Interestingly, they also both received a master’s degree from Western Michigan University in 2005.

Thirteen years separate the tandem, but they both agree on what part of their job they enjoy most: working with student-athletes who learn and live a dream.

“I love working with student-athletes who take college seriously,” Folkert said. “They treat it as a right, not a privilege, and they need to be grateful for the sacrifices their parents made to get them to college.”

A demanding job

Athletic directors themselves need to make sacrifices too, because the job is no easy task. While Folkert deems it a “boring” subject matter, the position deserves respect. Without experienced and dedicated athletic directors, a school’s sports program can turn to dust. 

Athletic directors constantly have deadlines. Responsibilities include facility management, hiring coaches, preparing schedules and organizing spending on things such as team travel and equipment. 

An article written by Annie Chandler about the University of Arizona’s athletic director says that the demanding hours of the job make it “notorious for its short tenures.”

Folkert and Schoonveld know that the job description doesn’t include much time for breathers.

“If you like regimen and a mundane lifestyle, this is not the job you’ll have,” Folkert said. “Each day something new comes up on our to-do lists, and the job offers variety.”

Cohesion and God’s calling

The tandem credits much of their success to the cohesion developed since 2009. They approach each other with different ideas and possess gifts in specific areas which, when mixed together, help create new ideas that broaden the scope of their athletic minds.  

“We love to challenge each other and we complement each other very well,” Schoonveld said. “We’ve established a great friendship, we enrich each other and we trust our work.”

Their upbringings may be different, but they both believe the way they ended up as an athletic directing duo was all part of God’s calling.

“God brings people together with a purpose and a plan,” Schoonveld said. “I’m more aware now than ever that I’m part of God’s plan, and I go by this. I never dreamed of being an athletic director at Hope.”

From New York to Hope

Folkert spent her high school days in the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York. From an early age, she possessed a love for words. She scored good grades on research papers and saw writing as a beautiful puzzle in which you could describe something in so many different ways but still hold on to its true meaning. 

Her love for sport blossomed in her high school days when she played softball, basketball and field hockey. She admired the way sport brought groups of people together in unison and how success depended on the hard work of numerous people.

Folkert’s move from New York to West Michigan in 1979 brought her to Hope College. She declared a double major in business administration and communication, and she had the opportunity to use her writing skills and love of sport soon after her entrance into Hope.

“With my double major, I was planning on going into PR [public relations],” Folkert said. “I also landed the position of sports editor of Hope’s student-run newspaper ‘The Anchor’ during my sophomore year, but then I went to work at the Holland Sentinel as a sports writer and photographer my junior and senior years.”

Finding work at Hope

Folkert graduated from Hope in 1983. According to a 2010 feature written by Michelle Brutlag Hosick in NCAA Champion magazine, the Holland Sentinel couldn’t hire her full time out of college due to a time of recession, and freelance writing for the Sentinel “wasn’t going to pay the mortgage for the newly married Folkert, so she took a job for a printing company doing layout and design, skills she picked up while cutting and pasting the newspaper columns together.” Soon after, however, in 1985 a PR job opened at Hope and Folkert got it, and she’s worked for the college ever since.

The then 24-year-old Folkert committed herself to the new job at Hope as a young woman working alongside older, qualified and successful veterans. She recalls Tom Renner, who still serves as director of public relations at Hope, seeing potential in her and making her feel comfortable from the start.

A veteran’s mind

Throughout her years at Hope, Folkert has seen plenty of work: registrar’s office, athletics ticket manager, assistant director of intramural sports, senior woman administrator for athletics, director of women’s athletics (Ray Smith was director of men’s athletics), assistant professor of kinesiology and now co-athletic director. Her time with intramural sports opened her eyes to athletic administration.

After receiving her master’s degree in sport management in her early 40s in 2005, Folkert coached women’s golf at Hope from 2005-2008 and was able to begin teaching at the college. With so much to focus on daily, Folkert still tries to abide by a routine.

These days Folkert arrives at her office in DeVos Fieldhouse around 6:30 a.m. She comes in early to check emails, check calls and organize for the day ahead.  She prepares for her First Year Seminar class about sport in society in movies. Next semester she’ll teach a Senior Seminar about sport in society and the sacred, looking at religion’s effect on sport. 

“I’m much more productive in the morning,” Folkert said. “Some days morning meetings require an early start, but most days I enjoy arriving at the office before the noise and commotion hits, taking time in the quiet to get things done.”

In the afternoon the corridors fall silent around 3 p.m., and Folkert takes this time to answer questions, check email, touch base with coaches and possibly meet with a student. She says the athletic directing job is about managing people and events and people in events. She may attend and supervise a sporting event which will keep her night busy. 

Where she should be

Despite being employed in several different areas at Hope, getting her master’s degree late, dropping coaching and abiding by innumerable NCAA rules, Folkert believes she is in the right place to use her gifts and glorify God.

“Every step in my career path, the Holy Spirit nudged me and said, ‘try this, maybe you’re good at this’,” Folkert said. “Although this job demands so much time and can be frustrating, I do like it and I enjoy watching our student-athletes play and do what they love to do while growing into their education. Hope is a special place.”

West Michigan boy

Schoonveld, known by co-workers and Hope students as “Schoonie,” grew up in West Michigan and has resided there all his life. In his childhood, his parents weren’t very into athletics, but Schoonveld found a love for sport by playing ball with the neighborhood kids.

“My family didn’t really encourage me to play sports and they weren’t huge fans at all,” Schoonveld said. “I, however, enjoyed sports from an early age, and God blessed me with some athletic ability and success playing basketball.”

Schoonveld attended Holland Christian High School where he played basketball under head coach and athletic director Mike Phelps. Schoonveld credits Phelps as a huge reason why he works as co-athletic director at Hope today. Schoonveld wanted to be like his high school mentor.

Leaving Calvin, loving Hope

For college, Schoonveld looked at Hope and Calvin and chose Calvin for his first year of undergraduate. He calls his time at Calvin his “Mormon mission” and realized that after one year satisfaction wasn’t present, so he left the school. 

“After my first year at Calvin, I took a whole semester off and worked,” Schoonveld said. “Hope’s basketball coach at the time, Glenn Van Wieren, sucked me back in to Hope to study and play basketball.”

And that’s what Schoonveld did. He enrolled at Hope and declared a major in kinesiology and a minor in political science. Unfortunately, his college basketball career hit an abrupt end due to a series of knee surgeries. Basketball still was a huge part of his life, as he desired to coach and teach.

Finding the right place

Shortly after graduating in 1996 from Hope with a teacher’s certificate, Schoonveld took the position as assistant coach of the men’s junior varsity basketball team at Hope in 1997. He also taught elementary P.E. in the Zeeland public school system at this time, and both jobs lasted until 2000.

In 2000 he began to serve as a teacher and head coach of girls’ varsity basketball at his alma mater Holland Christian High School. After earning a master’s degree from Western Michigan with Folkert in 2005, Schoonveld became the assistant principal and athletic director at Holland Christian while still maintaining his head coaching job. 

“I had a lot of responsibilities with all those titles, but I was passionate about my work,” Schoonveld said. 

Towards the end of his 2000-2009 tenure at Holland Christian, Schoonveld heard about the opening position of men’s athletic director at Hope upon the retirement of former director Ray Smith. Schoonveld went through the application process, landed the job and had great supporters during the move.

A calling and patience

“I felt like it was a calling to take the job at Hope,” Schoonveld said. “I want to leave a positive mark on the lives of those people I communicate with. College athletic directing is different from high school with so many more people to help, much more facilitating and building consensus with highly skilled coaches.

“God is teaching me patience. My time here has been rewarding and I’m here to see, learn and grow.”

Schoonveld, like Folkert, also teaches along with his directing job. Days often consist of office work and details, multiple meetings, making rounds to touch base with coaches in order to develop effective communication, supervising events and being present with his wife Lisa and their four children.

Schoonveld also tries to get in a workout every day, while Folkert says her workout is walking to the printer and back to her office 20 times a day. Exercising habits aside, Folkert and Schoonveld share a common love for the Hope community.

“I plan on being here for a while,” Schoonveld said. “This is my home, developing friendships and working with student-athletes and colleagues. It’s most inspiring to walk with student-athletes, watch them grow and learn as much from them as anything. I want to continue to use my abilities to impact lives.” 

What keeps them going

Folkert and Schoonveld know the frustrations of the job, like dealing with student-athletes who break codes of conduct, how much to charge people who constantly want to use Hope’s state-of-the-art athletic facilities and attending to endless deadlines.

But if you ask the duo what keeps them attached to this lifestyle day after day, the answer will probably include something about watching student-athletes compete and grow.

Hope students appreciate Folkert and Schoonveld’s work to improve athletic and educational experiences, the way they exhibit their faith and the approachability of the two. 

“I was Eva Dean’s TA [teacher’s assistant] for health dynamics and she invited me on the athletics leadership Montana trip this past summer,” senior Hope track athlete Joel Rietsema said. “She has really made a big impact on me in giving me great opportunities to help better myself as well as the people and teams around me.”

Folkert and Schoonveld plan to overcome the common short tenures of athletic directors due to the demanding hours. The student-athletes, however, will continue to come and go.

“One of the best parts of my job is to keep student-athletes for four years, but it’s the hardest to see them leave,” Folkert said.

A spirited two-headed monster that cares for the longevity of a college athletic program and loves making a positive impact on student-athletes—that’s something you don’t hear of too often.

Schoonveld and Folkert
Photo Courtesy of Hope PR

-James Rogers

Thanks go to Eva Dean Folkert and Tim Schoonveld for willing to meet with me several times, Hope PR for providing photos, and Teresa Heinz Housel for challenging me with this project.

 

Lie Strong

Appeared as a column in the 1/23/2013 issue of Hope College's campus newspaper The Anchor.

After watching Lance Armstrong’s doping confession interview with Oprah this past week, I thought of the times in my life when sports brought me down because of performance-enhancing drugs. Thanks to drugs, I can’t watch sports the same anymore, and that’s truly sad.

I remember gluing my eyes to the television back in the day when Armstrong, a cancer survivor, went on a tear in the world of cycling, winning seven consecutive Tour de France races and launching the Livestrong Foundation to raise money for cancer. 

I remember begging my dad to take me to any store in the area to purchase one of those heavily sought-after yellow Livestrong bracelets that I was convinced everyone in the world was wearing. Sure, I wanted one because I thought it would make me cooler, but I also marveled at what Armstrong did on a bike and I wanted a bracelet that would make me more like him.

To this day, I’m aware that Livestrong helps to raise money for cancer awareness, and I’m all for that. But the man behind the project, Armstrong, is a fraud and arguably the most pathological liar we’ve seen in the history of sports. I was cheering for a man who cheated to win, and that’s sad.

I also cheered for cheaters in baseball. I spent most of my childhood days in St. Louis, Missouri, cheering on my beloved St. Louis Cardinals baseball team. I rooted for Mark McGwire, who hit an incredible 70 home runs during the 1998 season. 

I collected his cards, spent money to watch him cranks homers, and pretended I was him while playing wiffle ball in my backyard, all while having no clue that he was pumping steroids to garner more success. He cheated, and looking back on those days is sad because McGwire tricked me.

I did a grade school project on Barry Bonds, drew pictures of Sammy Sosa to hang on my wall, and sent a letter to the Texas Rangers requesting an autograph from Rafael Palmeiro. All three of these guys (and many more baseball players) took steroids to enhance their performances, and that honestly puts a dent in my childhood memories. All those hours in awe of cheaters.

I’m a huge fan of running, and I keep up with professional runners thanks to a few resourceful websites. Running too is tainted. If an athlete breaks a record there are many accusations saying he or she is on drugs. The Kenyans and Ethiopians, who have been dominating distance running for years now, spark controversy because people label them as cheating drug users. It’s sad, but is it true?

Who can I trust now in sports? Am I still being tricked today? Are some of the runners and baseball players posted on my bedroom walls cheating to gain success? I try to picture a world of sports without cheaters, but it’s nearly impossible with the way things have shifted. 

I feel sorry too. Sorry for those athletes out there who truly work hard and put in hours to improve in their respective sport. I feel sorry because if that athlete has a breakout year or shows steady improvement, people will discredit all the hard work and credit the drugs. Even I will probably question.

I’m still a huge fan of sports, but no, I can’t trust every athlete. It’s a shame, but that’s the way it is. And it’s not just cycling, baseball, and running that are tarnished; it’s multiple sports all over the world.

With increased drug testing and longer suspensions for illegal substances, it’s my hope that one day all athletes on every level will not even consider drugs and just do it the natural way. Unfortunately, I believe that day is far, far away. 

For now, I’ll just wait and see who tricks me next. 

-James Rogers

Poetry - 2012

Here are some of the poems I wrote for my poetry 355 class this past semester. My enjoyment writing these pieces have caused me to want to write more in the future and see where this style of writing can take me. My professor, Pablo Peschiera, really fueled my interest in poetry when I took his poetry 255 class my sophomore year, and I really felt like I found my poetic voice in 2012.

Many thanks go to Pablo, Julia Windom for all of her beautiful illustrations (some which you'll see below), my classmates for encouraging me to keep writing, my loving family for their peace and comfort, my friends for always asking to read my poems, and my God for giving me this life and this opportunity to write.

Please enjoy!


His love

His eyes sparkled when the time arrived
to hold his newborn son in joyful love.
“Fantastic Parenting” – a class he’d teach;
a drawing pad for his boy to sketch.
He filmed his children in their younger years
and now they reminisce and laugh till tears.
The love of sports comes from those weary days
of playing catch and shooting hoops till dark.
Another thousand counted baseball cards;
a seventh-inning sneak in at the park.
Alarm is set early for a run:
Those steps that keep inspiring his son.
A humble take on life and steady faith
have caused his kids to feel God’s soothing breath.
Devoted to spending time with his son,
his grandkids will feel this same father’s love.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Illustration by Julia Windom

Snowman

Siblings know they’ll fight the brisk;
hands in gloves to stop the bite.
Mom thinks this could be a risk;
they think they could build all night.

Hands in gloves to stop the bite
as scarves wrap tight and old boots squeeze.
They think they could build all night;
Dad thinks they can fight the freeze.

As scarves wrap tight and old boots squeeze,
Mom demands they stay inside.
Dad thinks they can fight the freeze;
they know mom is wasting time.

Mom demands they stay inside.
Sister grabs the coal and carrot.
They know mom is wasting time,
brother simply cannot bear it.

Sister grabs the coal and carrot,
Mom and Dad go back and forth,
brother simply cannot bear it;
It’s December twenty-fourth.

Mom and dad go back and forth,
siblings march right out the door.
It’s December twenty-fourth:
“This is what we’ve waited for!”

Siblings march right out the door,
Mom thinks this could be a risk.
“This is what we’ve waited for!”
Siblings know they’ll fight the brisk.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Childhood in St. Louis

I remember chasing fireflies
I remember jumping over logs
I remember long vacation drives
I remember collecting pogs

I remember loving Pokémon
I remember shining holographics
I remember hating Digimon
I remember Gyarados and Onix

I remember Radio Disney
I remember playing the recorder
I remember Avril, Christina, and Britney
I remember collecting quarters

I remember the hours on AIM
I remember all Dad’s basketball games
I remember selling lemonade
I remember cold lunch trades

I remember football in the snow
I remember trips to Toys “R” Us
I remember loving The Amanda Show
I remember how that was

And I kind of miss it.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Illustration by Julia Windom

Cold Weather

The leaves will fall and I will take
the first few steps on my own track.
Imminent grey will own the skies,
again the fiercest frost will bite.

A harsh, wet winter stirs and stings—
No doubt the time for cheery songs.
All this time I’ve just been walking
soft, slow strides as cold keeps clinging.

The snow subsides and starts its melt;
warmth takes presence, causing sweat.
No more footprints upon my path—
My home is where I’ll travel back.

I walked in coolness on my own,
found myself and asking now:
What did I learn? I’ll always be
content with cold and mad at heat.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Illustration by Julia Windom

Winter Day

When I see the earth outside

my window overtaken by white,
I put holiday music on low,
make a cup of hot cocoa,
watch a car drive slow,
and enjoy the snow show.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Shooting Streak

For at least 20 minutes
I put the rock in my hands
every day—outside, in the gym,
on my own, in front of fans.

A decision was made and
some friends were upset.
The ball stopped bouncing
and the net got a rest.

In May I chose running,
so the shooting lost its place
in a daily routine
that lasted over 1700 days.

Ending the streak was sad,
but I sure learned a lot.
As my dad always told me,
“Make your last shot.”

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Illustration by Julia Windom

Pal

Claiming a spot in the corner
with arms ready to embrace,
friend of mine
helps me with writing this line.

Never talks and never listens,
yet he can comfort for weeks.
Eagerly,
sends me to dreams easily.

Green in hue but always healthy,
next to a fresh window view,
Arms extend
as we begin to pretend.

Homework due with no time to spare,
you know I’m chilling with you.
Time to share
another night with my chair.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Old School

To picture school with no computers
twists my mind and hurts my head.
Now the Internet’s a student’s suitor.
To picture school with no computers!
There had to be a line for tutors;
papers were written in ink and lead.
To picture school with no computers
twists my mind and hurts my head.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Illustration by Julia Windom

Park Bench

A bench for two to sit,
to chat about the world,
awaits the college folk
about to take a seat.

The future owns their minds
as plans begin to fade.
They still won’t know what to do
when school will finally end.

The question plagues us all:
And what will you do next?
Sometimes they draw a blank---
This phase of life is tough.

They watch some children play
and slip down slides in cheer.
These college folk just say,
“We miss our younger years.”

-----------------------------------------------------------------

The Miler

People doubted and laughed in his face
when he told them he’d run a 3:59 mile.
They made him eager to train and to race.

He hired a coach and found the right place
to work his butt off and focus while
people doubted and laughed in his face.

He polished his form and built up his base,
did some speed on a track. He learned from trials;
doubters made him eager to train and to race.

He was getting faster and making his case,
becoming one of the country’s best in the mile.
No more doubting and laughing in his face.

In his biggest race yet he was right on pace—
ran a 3:57 mile and after he thanked with smiles
those who made him eager to train and to race.

He’s still improving, getting better every day.
If you ask him how he got here, here’s what he’d say:
“People doubted and laughed in my face.
They made me eager to train and to race.”

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Illustration by Julia Windom

My Van and I

I told my parents I’d like to travel.
They asked me where I’d like to go.
I thought for a second and let out a laugh:
“That’s a good question ‘cause I don’t know.”
Puzzled looks took over their faces,
and then they told me I needed a plan.
In my mind I knew what I needed:
Some cash in my pocket and a cozy used van.
Driving around to explore the world
is where my fiery passion lies.
My parents allowed me to do what I wanted—
The toughest part was the teary goodbyes.
My van and I, we discover surreal things.
I can’t describe the fun travel brings.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Illustration by Julia Windom

Bear Flight

A bear escaped the zoo!

A baby cried, a monkey died,

A cow let out a “Moo.”

A bear escaped the zoo!

A man told me to run and hide

From angry kangaroos.

A bear escaped the zoo!

Many people screamed in fright

And got a better view.

A bear escaped the zoo!

My eyes got wide, the bear took flight—

This really can’t be true!

A bear escaped the zoo!

It’s flying high into the sky;

It left behind four shoes.

A bear escaped the zoo!

I tell you this without a lie—

It’s flying to the moon.

A bear escaped the zoo!

I waved goodbye and then I sighed.

Why did I let it loose?

-----------------------------------------------------------------

I hope these poems help to spark memories, appreciate family, and inspire others to give writing a try.

Let love and peace fly high and wide,

-James Waldon

Summer Sprinklers

It's the summer, and for me the summer includes running numerous miles preparing for the upcoming cross country season. July is hot, and earlier this month I suffered my first dehydration stint of the year, faltering in the 95-degree (and higher) temperatures and subsequently loading myself with fluids throughout those days. I've been much more cautious and in tune with hydration than I was last summer, but when the temperature hits a certain degree (93?), it engulfs me and tells my body to stop going. I do my best to avoid those sizzling times, such as cooler morning runs and beautiful evening runs.

Thanks to my awesome Dad, I sweat bullets on runs, and losing water quickly doesn't help in these sticky situations either. My Dad is phenomenal, and I will stop complaining about dehydration. I despise it though. If you're a runner, I'm sure you've experienced depleted times before.

While the summer calls for warmer weather and hostile sunshine, it also calls all sprinklers. Being a runner, sprinklers are close to my heart. On one of those previously mentioned days when my body faced a shortage of strength and energy, I remember catching sight of a sprinkler in the area up ahead. With each soak-ridden step I chugged towards the sprinkler in anticipation.

When I arrived at the spouts spitting water, I took advantage of the opportunity to immerse myself in the streams. Although the sprinkler didn't cure my dehydration, I can look back and thank it for assisting me as much as it could.

There have been plenty of runs this summer where I'm feeling great and I still see sprinklers. It's not just on scorching hot days that the sprinklers make their appearances. I still cruise right through them even if it's cooler or I'm feeling fine, because I feel like they are secretly looking out for runners everywhere, giving people encouragement to go the extra mile. I have a friendship with all sprinklers.

This also reminds me of genuine, person-to-person friendships that we live out every day. While the sprinklers on those hot and humid days didn't completely relieve me of my dehydration, they still offered help and put a smile on my face when I came near them.

It's like in life, when you're feeling discouraged or tired, and you need that one uplifting comment or even a quick visit from a close friend to make things better. Even if the comment or visit didn't totally lift your spirits, you know that it was still awesome to see that your friend was there willing to help.

Sprinklers can be there for runners, and we can be there for each other. Do your best to make someone close to you feel special today.

Let peace fly high,

James Waldon Rogers

These Guys

Photo by PhotoRun.net

NAMES: Mo Farah (right) / Galen Rupp (left)
AGES: Farah - 29 / Rupp - 26
COACH: Alberto Salazar
SPONSOR: Nike
LOCATION: Portland, Oregon (and other sweet training venues)
5K PR: Farah - 12:53.11 / Rupp - 12:58.90
10K PR: Farah - 26:46.57 / Rupp - 26:48.00

2012 LONDON OLYMPICS 10K PREDICTION: Farah takes home the gold for Great Britain while Rupp snags bronze for the USA. And hopefully a scene like this one below (L-R: Rupp, Salazar, Farah).

This Summer

Dear Summer 2012,

In no particular order...

I want to buy a cool, vintage bike.

I want to read at least 12 books.

I want to learn how to cook.

I want to run 90-100 miles in one week.

I want to watch every episode of Full House.

I want to watch at least 10 Disney Classics.

I want to bike to garage sales and enjoy it, even if I don't purchase anything.

I want to go to Holland, MI and spend time on the beach.

I want to release a Lights Camera Stop CD with my friend Wilson Shaner.

I want to spend a day at Cedar Point.

I want to eat better, which means less junk food and fast food.

I want to be joyful as much as I can.

I want to apply for an internship with the New York Times.

I want to learn at least 30 new vocab words.

I want to make better use of my Flip video.

I want to spend less time on Facebook, more time on Twitter, but even more time immersing myself in books.

I want to post on this blog more than five times.

I want to spend more time outside.

I want to create a sweet collage of quotes.

I want to play baseball on Valley Lutheran's softball field.

I want to play soccer at the Soccer Complex.

I want to clean out my room and get rid of unnecessary items.

I want to give away some of the stuff that I don't need; I have too much stuff.

I want to dream big.

I want to create a new, fun game in my basement. 


I want to praise God for this life He has given me and not be ashamed.


I want to look back on this summer in late August and tell myself that I tried my best to accomplish all of these goals.


Stay strong and keep it simple.