Student ACES, a not for profit organization dedicated to inspiring and developing high school student athletes, recently held its first-ever Broward Student ACES Captain’s Summit, sponsored by Florida Power & Light Company (FPL)
PALM BEACH COUNTY, Florida—Student ACES trained 200 captains and prospective captains in Broward’s rst ‘Captains Summit’ recently. During the day-long summit, student-athletes engaged in team-building drills and activities and learned from the experience of keynote speakers, Charles Johnson, former University of Miami All-American and MLB great; Donnell Bennett, former All-American at the University of Miami and NFL running
back; former St. John’s University coaching great, Mike Jarvis, and former University of Colorado football star and Air Force fighter pilot, George “Chip” Jones. Each of the speakers emphasized character and leader-ship and
encouraged the captains to embrace their role.
The student-athletes in attendance had either been selected by their teammates as captains or pinned by their coaches as potential captains. Often a captain is selected, but then given little to no guidance to ensure success, that is what Student ACES hopes to x. Through Captains Summits, ACE ensures that the captains are given the proper skills and knowledge to lead their team. Each of the captains received The Captains’ Playbook, written by Student ACES President and Co-Founder, Buck Martinez. The book details the roles and responsibilities of a captain, the traits and qualities that a captain should possess and the image that a captain should personify.
Broward Athletics Director, Shawn Cerra, knows the importance of filling a captain role and how vital a captain is to the function of the team and the school, so he ensured that every public school in Broward County was well represented.
“In Broward County, we value and recognize that if we properly train captains, they will be the leaders on and off the field and will lead by example. These are the leaders of their school and we must properly develop them. Student ACES does a terrific job in this capacity,” said Cerra.
The student-athletes left the summit with ample tools and tactics to lead their teams this season. The opportunity to engage with peers, rivals and former sports players encouraged student-athletes and prepared them for the upcoming school year and seasons. Ninety-nine percent of the students agreed that every school in the country and every high school captain should attend a Captain Summit.
“I applaud Shawn Cerra and Broward County for recognizing the value of character education and leadership and we value the partnership in this exciting and rewarding endeavor to train our future leaders and equip them with the tools to be leaders on and off the field,” said
Martinez.
The Captains Summit kicked off the beginning of the ACE program in Broward County. This school year, Student ACES will train and educate high school student-athletes throughout Broward’s public and private schools. In addition to Captains Summits, ACE will also offer a year-long program where select students from each school will meet over the course of the school year to develop leadership skills and build their character. ACE also offers leadership workshops that can be adapted to the needs of various schools or sports teams.
Sponsors for the Captains Summit included Keiser University, Advanced Roofing, Children’s Services Council Broward (CSC) and Florida Power & Light Company.
“Moving Florida forward means focusing on its people,” said Pam Rauch, vice president of external affairs and economic development for FPL. “The best place to start is to support organizations and causes in our communities where our employees live and work. This has included working with Student ACES, because they focus on developing leadership in our young people who represent our future.”
“With service to community inherent in Keiser University’s mission, the institution is proud to be a strong supporter of the Student ACES program, and to champion its goal of inspiring and developing young men and women of honor, character and integrity,” said Dr. Gary Vonk, Keiser University Flagship Campus president.