Peck Encourages Students to Strive at Coaches 4 Character

November 19, 2013

While college basketball is starting to get in full swing, ESPN’s Carolyn Peck couldn’t be heard broadcasting a game Monday night. Instead of analysis of men’s or women’s basketball, she was providing life encouragement as the guest speaker for Coaches 4 Character at Redemption World Outreach Center.

Given that Monday’s program was “Young Ladies Night,” Peck was especially happy to address to elementary, middle and high school students from throughout the Upstate.

“Women have the potential to be stronger, especially if they are encouraged or motivated at an earlier age,” said Peck. “Nowadays we get so busy in our everyday lives that kids don’t get their fare due.

“I don’t look at kids as high-risk; I look at those as having the most potential. Whatever you can do to expose them to opportunities to help them set their sights on high goals, I’d like to try to do that.”

Peck credits her parents with pushing her and convincing her that she could accomplish anything. She’s accomplished lots.

The Jefferson City, Tenn., native was a two-time high school all-American and Tennessee’s Miss Basketball in 1987. After a Hall of Fame career at Vanderbilt, she worked for a Fortune 500 company for two years before playing professional basketball in Italy and Japan.

Peck then made the move to coaching, where she eventually was the first head coach and general manager of the WNBA’s Orlando Miracle.

Those experiences led to one of her key topics of discussion, handling success – and more importantly to her, handling failure. She talked about winning a national championship at Purdue in 1999 and being fired at Florida before the end of the 2007 season.

Leaving coaching led her to television, a job she dreamed of as a child.

“Back when I was 9 years old, Jayne Kennedy was holding her own on NFL football with a bunch of men, and I thought, ‘one day I want to do that,’” said Peck. “And my mother would say, ‘there’s no reason why you can’t.’

“‘I can’t’ was not allowed to be in our vocabulary.”

• Prior to Peck’s speech, Woodmont High football coach Jason Farmer introduced the recipients of the high school Coaches 4 Character awards, Woodmont’s Hannah Gilstrap and Hunter Haines.

Gilstrap is a senior who’s played softball since the age of 4, as well as volleyball and basketball. Gilstrap, who already has CNA certification and has been an assistant trainer for the football team, plans to be an ER nurse.

“I’m very excited and humbled by this experience,” said Gilstrap. “I’m glad others (who nominated her) can look up to me.”

Haines is a captain on his football and baseball teams. The senior, who has a 3.817 GPA, won the Wildcats’ FCA Athlete of the Year in 2012. While it was “Young Ladies Night” Monday, Haines was moved by Peck’s words.

“She talked about accountability, and that’s a big thing in my life. I have to hold myself accountable to show my little brother how,” said Haines. “Influencing him has shown me how to be a role model, and I’ve taken that to sports and life in general.”

By: Scott Keeler -- Greenville Online

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