Graduation is upon us! On Saturday, May 9, Longwood University will hold its annual commencement celebration. As is tradition on campus, the senior class will spend the week leading up to their special day recounting the moments of the past and anxiously anticipating the prospects of the future.
Given the time of year, I have been reflecting upon the achievements and contributions of Longwood’s senior student-athletes’ careers. This group has raised the bar for Longwood Athletics. Collectively, they have won at a higher rate than their predecessors, while continuing to maintain a high standard in the classroom and throughout the community. During their journey as a student-athlete, they have enjoyed moments of great joy and endured moments of great adversity, which will provide them insight and perspective as they advance in their lives.
In pondering this last point, my thoughts continually brought me back to one senior student-athlete with whom I share a life changing experience. Men’s golf standout
Scooter Buhrman lost his father to a heart attack shortly after his freshman year in June 2006. When I heard the news of Scooter’s loss, my heart sunk, and even though I was new to Longwood, I felt an instant connection to Scooter. I knew that Scooter was very close to his father, as was I very close to my mother at a similar age, at a similar point in my personal development. In December 1996, I lost my mother to cancer during my freshman year in college as well, thus I could empathize with his pain and suffering. From that point forward, Scooter would be in my thoughts; I was pulling for him to do great things despite his extreme setback. Scooter demonstrated early, and often, that he is a person of tremendous character and resolve, armed with a burning desire to be successful as a student and an athlete.
During his career at Longwood, Scooter won the Lonnie Barton Invitational (2009) and placed in the top five of 15 events among his 32 overall Top 20 finishes. Scooter’s contribution was a major reason the men’s golf team was the first Longwood program to secure a position in Division I post-season as they earned a trip to the 2007 NCAA Men’s Golf East Regional in Alpharetta, Georgia. His play has earned him numerous accolades, including: Division I Independent All-Newcomer Team (2006); Division I All-Independent 2nd-Team (2007); Division I Independent All-Academic Team (2007); GCAA Cleveland Golf All-America Scholar (2008); and the Henry I. Willet Scholar-Athlete Award (2009).
In the process, Scooter maintained a 3.42 grade point average, while majoring in Business Marketing. He was also an active contributor on the Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC).
Watching Scooter achieve these successes has truly been a pleasure for me. I anticipate his motivation throughout his collegiate career lied in his desire to be the best and to make his father proud. However, I hope Scooter knows that his father will always be proud of him and doing his best is all that matters.
This is advice I would share with all the seniors. In whatever you choose to do, show up and give your best effort, and know that your families, those close to you, and Longwood are proud of you and thankful for what you are and what you will become. Congratulations to the Class of 2009!
