Dustin Tompkins

Sports Reporter

Here at CSU Bakersfield, our student athletes strive for excellence. They are expected to perform not only in competition, but in the classroom as well. As difficult as it can be to manage their schedules, they all make time to go out and assist in the community in one way or another.

Ronald Waller, better known as “Doc,” coordinates the Runner Ready program for student athletes and is also in charge of logging their community service hours. Last year, Waller recorded 3,754 total hours volunteered by all athletic programs. He mentioned the Mothers Against Drunk Driving walk, which will take place at Riverwalk Park Sept. 28 at 7:30 a.m., as one of the upcoming events the athletes can get involved in.  When asked which program stands out in terms of their community service efforts, Doc said, “Not to take anything away from any of the other programs, but the swim team does an unbelievable job.”

Junior swimmer Kris Rogic has many championship accolades in his young career. He is a transfer student from Croatia who has broken many CSUB records. He is also one of the leaders in community service activities for the swimming and diving program. When asked how he maintains with such a busy schedule, Rogic says, “You have to be on top of everything at all times, and our advisors help us with that.” His favorite community service activity is going to the local elementary schools and reading to the children.  He also enjoys when the kids ask questions about college life and swimming. The program is always being contacted for volunteers, so there are constantly opportunities for them to help uplift the community.

Chris Hansen, Director of Swimming and Diving at CSUB, is currently in his 13^th season as the team’s head coach. His office is lined with trophies won at the annual ROWDYs awards ceremony presented by the athletics department. Swimming and Diving are four-time repeat winners of the Rudy Carvajal Community Service award, which is granted to the team with the most community service hours.

The program has won the award almost every year for the better part of a decade. Hansen states that their success creates competitiveness between the other athletic programs for the award. When asked why community service is so important to him and this program, Hansen said, “There was not a lot of energy around community service when I first started, so we made a conscious effort to improve that.” Not only are his efforts strengthening the community, but they are enriching the lives of his athletes as well.

Community service is more than just volunteering. It is sacrificing one’s personal time for the sake of bettering the city around us. The athlete volunteers are not getting paid for their time. They are setting a prime example of doing things without expecting anything in return. Their deeds do not go unnoticed, and they hope this can inspire others in the community to volunteer their time as well.